True Identity
by Priest Li Xiang
Summary: [Book 2] The sequel to False Identity: When the girl named Revenge wants revenge, she'll do anything to get it.
1. Meeting

With the end of False Identity, I had to come up with _something_ to   
occupy my time. Besides, I wasn't finished with my newly "birthed"   
world. So, here comes True Identity, the sequel.  
  
Oh, yeah, if anyone wants to write side stories for False Identity, I'd   
love to have them. Just email them to me (along with any and all fanart   
you might had drawn) at my normal address (jutsu@3web.net), and before   
long, the stories and art _will_ be up at Faded Fantasies   
(http://li_xiang.anifics.com/)  
  
For those of you just jumping in here, it would probably be smarter to   
read False Identity, first, otherwise it won't make sense.  
  
False Identity can be found at:  
http://ladycosomos.anifics.com/fi.html  
http://tannim.anifics.com/fi/index.html  
http://archive.anifics.com/  
http://www.reikaifiles.com/xovers/fi/FalseIdentity.html  
http://www.fanfiction.net/read.php?storyid=550375  
http://archive.anifics.com/  
  
  
  
True Identity  
Prologue: Meeting  
Li Xiang  
  
  
She trudged, drearily, down the road, hands shoved into the pockets of   
her blue-green jacket as she pondered on her friends' actions. Or could   
she even call them friends, anymore? The seventeen year old sighed   
sadly, green eyes glazed with the knowledge that they didn't want her   
around anymore. What had she been doing wrong?  
  
Oh, she knew they'd been drifting, parting... but to be rudely pushed   
away like that? Anger thrummed through her for a moment before she   
calmed herself. Getting mad would solve no problems. She'd just have to   
find new friends.  
  
"Oh, yeah, _that_ will be easy," she muttered sourly, glaring at the   
concrete sidewalk beneath her feet like it had personally caused an   
affront to her. So she was bitter about her friends pushing her away   
and leaving her alone. Hell, even her own boyfriend had left her when   
he'd been accepted into some overseas college for being overly   
brilliant.  
  
She passed a flower shop, glaring in at the teenager working there. The   
younger boy flinched at her glare, wondering exactly what was wrong,   
before deciding it was none of his business. He was going to be busy   
that night, and needed to keep his mind focused...  
  
She kicked at a stone, watching it rocket through the air, before   
clattering to the ground and rolling further. That had helped her feel   
better. Smiling faintly, she continued forwards, kicking the rock   
again, and again. She could feel her anger leaving her, although the   
hollow feeling and bitterness still flooded her.  
  
They had been such close friends for so long-- whatever could have made   
them, _her_, push her away, kick her out. Were it those new friends of   
hers? Was it because she was gaining more and more popularity-- hell,   
she had famous _singers_ following her around for Christ sakes-- and   
she, the lonely little redhead, wasn't? Why didn't they like her? She   
was a likable person, wasn't she?  
  
The lingering doubts in the back of her mind wouldn't let her believe   
that though.  
  
If she was a likable person, then why had her parents put her up for   
adoption when she was six? They weren't having financial problems.  
  
If she was a likable person, then why had her older brother left her?  
  
If she was a likable person, then why had her friends kicked her out of   
their group?   
  
If she was such a likable person... why was she all alone?  
  
The anger had been replaced with sadness, and she quickly dashed her   
tears from her cheeks, the movement speaking of long action with it.   
She'd lost so much in her life. Her biological parents, her brother,   
her adoptive father, her first love, her second love, her friends...   
while she still had her adoptive mother, the woman had gotten distant   
lately, probably wanting her to go out with her friends so often like   
she had when younger, so the woman could work in her jewelry store   
peacefully.  
  
A spark of flaming orange-red caught her eye, and the young woman's   
emerald gaze lifted. There was a man leaning against the wall of a   
nearby cafe. He wasn't looking at her-- he was busy flirting with one   
of the waitresses-- but there was a... feeling. He was familiar to her.   
The shade of his hair looked an awful lot like...  
  
Hope bubbled in her breast, and she moved quickly, but decisively,   
moving to see if his features... they were! It was him! She gave a   
brief thanks to the gods for their taking pity on a lonely girl's soul.   
On light feet she padded nearer.  
  
"Bruder?"  
  
He jumped, like he'd been shot, the waitress looking between the two in   
confusion. Her look turned into a scowl as she figured the young man   
before her as a playboy, and the girl as his girlfriend. She stalked   
away, but neither noticed. Jade eyes were wide, staring at the smaller,   
darker shaded redhead, "Kleine Schwester?"  
  
"Arawn!" she flew at him, tackling him with a hug and sobbing into his   
chest, "Oh gods above, I missed you, big brother!"  
  
After a startled pause, Arawn wrapped his arms around the younger girl,   
"I missed you, too, Erika."  
  
"It's Rache now," she was firmly wrapped around his middle, and not   
willing to let go, "but most people know me as Naru."  
  
"Well Rache," He lifted one hand to ruffle her hair-- she hit him when   
he managed to half yank out her green bow-- and grinned, "I've been   
going by Schuldich, myself."  
  
"The guilty one?" she turned a confused eye to her older brother, "Why   
would you...?"  
  
He sighed, "C'mon, Rache, this isn't the place to talk about that sort   
of thing. I'll take you back to my place. You can meet my...   
roommates." She hiked an eyebrow at his hesitation, "I'll tell you when   
we get there, although I should warn you now. Farfello-- my best   
friend-- isn't exactly sane. He gets worse when he starts ranting about   
finding 'his Kitty', though..."  
  
  
END  
  
If you couldn't tell, the prologue takes place, roughly, about a year   
before False Identity starts. Like how the prologue of False Identity   
took place eight years prior. True Identity will actually take place a   
few months after False Identity. Just so the weird Ranma-Aya-Farf thing   
can be worked on.   
  
And the SchuKen. Can never forget SchuKen, or I'll get hit.  
  
Arawn/Erika are just my made up names for Rache & Schuldich. I've never   
seen anyone put down what Schuldich's real name is, so I just made one   
up. 


	2. Crossings

Scary as it may seem, when I finish True Identity, I'm going to   
compile it into a single file. I've been trying to do that with False   
Identity, but it's really hard and annoying and all that, so it might   
take awhile. Not that it really matters-- when I finish compiling them   
into their separate books, I'll be uploading them to FF.net under the   
title "Tales of Identity". If someone can think of a better title, I'm   
all ears.  
  
  
  
True Identity  
Chapter One: Crossings  
Li Xiang  
  
  
  
Four redheads crowded around the table, staring happily at the   
ceiling-- alright, three redheads stared happily at the ceiling, and   
one of them looked a bit melancholic. Fujimiya Ran, otherwise known as   
"Aya", in honor of his little sister, was thinking about that selfsame   
sister. Thinking about how much she had loved ice-cream, and how she   
would have adored this little trip to the ice-cream shop to wile away   
the hours outside of the House.  
  
The House was, in all reality, the old warehouse Rache-- one of the   
two female redheads at the table-- had purchased in Nyu Xue Shi's   
name. Xue Shi being the other redheaded female. It had taken nearly a   
month of constant debates but the two groups of assassins had finally   
come to the decision to move in together. Their clothing and personal   
items had all been shipped to the House, and put in Rache's   
predesignated rooms. While the Weiss boys still accepted missions from   
Manx and Kritiker-- they _were_ still working at the Koneko no Sumi   
Ie-- Schwartz had only cut their final tie a couple nights earlier.   
Schuldich was celebrating his "freedom" by treating his sister, his   
best friend's so-called pet, and the pet's own newly named best friend   
to ice-cream.  
  
The only reason Aya had agreed to come was so that he could get away   
from the fairly loud disagreements of Yohji and Crawford. They   
preferred to argue with one another, over speaking civilly and working   
out problems. Although, Xue Shi-- aka Saotome Ranma-- had to muse,   
that was usually how _he_ got along with both Yohji and Omi. Or, in   
his world, Kudou and Tsukiyono.   
  
"Stop being so depressed all the time," Rache snapped, leveling her   
licked-clean spoon at the violet eyed assassin, "you're making me   
depressed."  
  
"And we can't have _that_," Ranma grinned widely, and the natural   
female stuck her tongue out. Schuldich dropped his elbow on his little   
sister's head.  
  
"We should probably have Balinese around when you do that, hmm   
schwester?"  
  
Rache blushed a red to match Ranma-onna's hair-- her's was a bit to   
brown a shade to be considered "blushable red"-- and shot a glare at   
she who was normally male. Ranma shook her head, sending wild strands   
of red hair fluttering around her face. She glared angrily at the   
strands, tucking them behind her ears. Getting a haircut sucked, she   
thought to herself.  
  
Apparently, her mother had decided that Ranma needed to have good,   
proper non-split ended hair. Which resulted in a hair cut, where she   
lost the hair up to her chin. Nodoka had wanted her to get a more   
boyish cut, but Ranma had drawn the line. While she didn't exactly   
like her female form, she didn't actually hate it. Ranma wanted a hair   
style that would look good on both forms, and that had resulted in a   
chin-length straight cut that curled in slightly at the bottom, where   
it followed the pretty much permanent curve of where it had been tied   
back into the formerly thought to be eternal pigtail.  
  
Another reason for the ice-cream-- it was Ranma's first day out with   
her new hair cut.   
  
"I said nothing!" Ranma proclaimed before shoving the first mouthful   
of her ninth sunday into her mouth. Aya hiked an enquiring eyebrow,   
but could infer what exactly they were talking about. It didn't take a   
genius to see that Rache had a crush on Yohji. Nor one to figure out   
that Yohji was not flirting with Rache for a reason other than   
Schuldich's death threats.   
  
The two green eyed redheads stared at each other for a few moments,   
then back at their friends, and burst out laughing. Aya looked vaguely   
sophisticated, with his single ice-cream bowl empty in front of him,   
spoon in the bowl. He'd knit his fingers together and had his chin   
resting upon them. The only thing that put this off was the splatter   
or two of ice-cream on his face from the girl seated beside him. And   
the fact that he'd begun glaring at said girl.  
  
Ranma-onna, on the other hand, had the previous eight sunday bowls   
scattered around her, licked clean, her spoon in one hand, and the   
ninth sunday in the other. A few seconds later, that bowl was empty,   
too.  
  
"I never thought I'd see the day when someone could eat faster than   
Usagi-chan."  
  
Two of the four gathered stiffened noticeably. Aya's cold glared   
turned on the speaker, Ranma set her spoon down very carefully, while   
Rache bowed her head to hide her face in the shadows of her   
shoulder-length hair, and Schuldich looked like he was trying to crush   
the tabletop, his grip was so tight. Ranma had recognized the voice,   
even though it had been almost three months since he'd last heard it.   
It was that shrine maiden that had all but sent Schuldich into a   
mindless-rage.  
  
She was wearing a black and grey school uniform, while the girls with   
her just wore normal clothing. They appeared to be about the age to be   
starting college-- in other words, older than Ranma by about two   
years; Rache's age. Her violet eyes were closer to black, and didn't   
have that same shimmer that Aya's did. But then, she _was_ a shrine   
maiden, and not an assassin.  
  
"Hey, you're that freak that showed up at the shrine a few months   
back!" Obviously, the girl remembered Schuldich, too. His knuckles   
turned that much whiter as he grit his teeth and forced himself to   
calm down. He wouldn't kill her. Not even maim her. He was going to   
leave that to Rache.  
  
Said girl could hear her brother's teeth grinding, and it made the   
hairs on the back of her neck rise. She finally lifted her head,   
placing a palm on her brother's shoulder, "Calm, Schu. Be calm."  
  
"Naru-chan?!" shrieked one of the priestess' friends. A blonde haired   
apparently gaijin girl with large sky blue eyes. Her hair was up in   
the stupidest style Ranma had ever seen-- a pair of buns/war knots on   
either side of her head with long pigtails extending down to her   
ankles. The boy-turned-girl made a face. She was wearing way to much   
pink. Which was, most definitely, not one of her most favorite colors.   
Not after all those incidents where "Ranko" had ended up wearing it.  
  
"Tsukino-san," Rache intoned formerly, "if you can't control your   
friend's rude mouth, go away."  
  
"Naru-chan?" the girl repeated, hurt shining in luminescent blue eyes.   
Rache found herself gritting her own teeth, gaze narrowing, and   
emerald eyes turning hard.   
  
"You do not have the privileged to call me that," the redhead hissed,   
"no right."  
  
Ranma blinked, "Man, I wish I'd done that with Ukyou."  
  
"Ranma, be quiet," Rache, Aya and Schuldich spoke as one. The redhead   
smirked, then swiped what remained of Schuldich's ice-cream. But her   
eyes were hard, and focused on the girls before them. Committing their   
faces to memory. Every thing about their appearance she learned. She   
wasn't going to let a chance to punish these people for what they'd   
done to Rache over a year earlier just pass her by.   
  
A brunette with green eyes stepped forwards, and stared at Schuldich   
for a moment, then, "I know you from somewhere."  
  
Schuldich grinned to himself, tweaking her memory and bringing the   
image of him fading from her sight forwards. She gasped a bit, staring   
at him. Her eyes were wide and unfocused for a second, before   
Schuldich darted back in and took the memory away from her, /You've   
never seen me before, liebe./  
  
While the other girls were busy trying to figure out what was wrong   
with their friend, the quartet of redheads stood and exited the shop.   
On the way out, Ranma grabbed a cup of hot water, being prepared for   
tea, and dumped it over her head. Ranma-otoko shook his head out,   
sending water droplets flying. Rache shrieked as the water hit her,   
then glared playfully at her friend, "You wanna try that again,   
Kitty-cat?"  
  
Ranma grinned, whipping his head around again, and sending the last   
bits clinging to the strands flying. Behind them, Schuldich watched   
with an amused eye at how fast his sister recovered from the meeting   
with her ex-friends, and Aya pondered for a few moments.  
  
"Ranma?"  
  
"That's me," the boy snickered at the dark look he got in return,   
"What's up Ayan?" Oh yes, Ranma had picked up on that little nickname,   
and couldn't help but call the older boy by it.  
  
The dark look intensified, but Aya let the name slide, "Why do you   
always go female when you want ice-cream?"  
  
"Guys aren't supposed to pig out on candy and ice-cream," Ranma   
parodied his father's voice, his face serious. After a moment or two,   
his cocky grin flickered back into being, "Besides. Ice-cream doesn't   
taste as good as a guy as it does when I'm a girl."  
  
"Nice reasoning, Bishoujo." Three guesses on who _that_ was.   
  
"Why thank-you. And don't call me Bishoujo," sending the culprit an   
evil glare, Ranma opened his mouth to continue when the ringing of a   
cell phone interrupted them. Seeing as Schuldich didn't need one, and   
Ranma refused to carry one, it was between Rache and Aya as to who's   
it was. Rache shrugged, "I didn't bring mine."  
  
Abyssian nodded, pulling his out. Flicking it on, he spoke softly for   
a second, before an irritated look crossed his face, "You could have   
just asked Schuldich to relate the message to us, Ken." Only Ranma   
heard the other side of the conversation, his cat-side's hear much   
better than any human's.  
  
"I'm not talking to Schuldich," Ken huffed, although there was a   
twinge of fear in his voice. Hidaka _still_ had not gotten over the   
German man's teasing, despite it being almost four months since it   
happened. It didn't help that Schuldich practically followed Ken   
around-- tormenting him, Ken believed.   
  
Aya growled a bit, low in his throat, and spoke dangerously, "I.   
Don't. Care."  
  
"But Aya--" Ken's whine was cut off by Aya hanging up on him. The   
irritated redhead turned to look at his companions, "We're to return   
to the House. Mission details."  
  
"Right," the other three nodded, Rache hopping onto her brother   
piggy-back style. Ranma and Schuldich bent then pushed off, jumping   
from the street to a roof top from a standing position. Aya followed   
their lead, although he had to get a running start. He was capable to   
jumping down from a building and not getting hurt-- it was jumping   
thirty, forty, fifty feet into the air that was the problem.   
  
However, Ranma and Schuldich's "Learn How to Jump, Accelerated   
Course", as they had a tendency to call it, had been helping. The   
course being a combination of Ranma's training under Genma, and   
Schuldich's training by Estet.   
  
In any case, after a few minutes, Aya, Ranma, Schuldich and Rache had   
vanished in their roof hopping.   
  
  
End Chapter  
  
Yes, I do have a plan for why they've been "recalled". Mwahahahahaha!  
  
(Actually, this part was planned out way back before Rache actually   
showed up in the False Identity!) 


	3. Mission

For those of you pissing because I crossed BSSM into this, relax   
people. I've developed a rather... violent dislike of BSSM over the   
course of the past couple years.  
  
You thought False Identity was bloody.  
  
It's got _nothing_ on this. Mwahahahahahahahahahahahahaha~!  
  
  
True Identity  
Chapter Two: Mission  
Li Xiang  
  
  
  
It was nearing five o'clock when three assassins and one healer   
returned to the House. They had barely spoken a word to each other on   
their trip-- Rache, Ranma and Aya wondering about the recall, and   
Schuldich busily attempting to breach Crawford's mental defenses to   
figure it out. It had become standard for the two teams plus Rache and   
Ranma to meet in the main room to discuss whatever it was that needed   
discussing.  
  
As they entered, Ranma grumbled, "If this is just so we can listen to   
Braddie-kins and Kudou argue..." There was a snort from Schuldich at   
Crawford's latest nickname. Ranma had, quite swiftly, discovered   
Crawford's dislike of being referred to by his first name. Therefore,   
just as he had with Ryouga before, Ranma found a number of ways to   
twist Crawford's first name into hundreds of nicknames, and _enjoyed_   
unleashing them on the irrate visionary.  
  
"Not likely," Jei's voice washed over them as they seated themselves   
around the room-- Schuldich opting to sit behind Ken and draping his   
arms over the young man's shoulders, while Rache weaseled herself into   
the space between Ken and Yohji. Ranma had settled down beside   
Farfello, half curling up against the pale haired assassin, with Aya on   
his other side. Omi and Nagi were seated in their normal spots-- the   
computer chairs-- and all were waiting for Crawford's arrival.   
  
Crawford was the one who normally went out and got business for the two   
teams, seeing as he had much more practice with it; Weiss had merely   
awaited instructions from Manx and therefore, Persia and Kritiker.   
Besides, if Aya or one of the others offered their services without   
Kritiker's backing, it was more likely to be tracked, than if Schwartz   
did so. They didn't need their "bosses" finding out that they were   
doing jobs where none of the money made it's way back to Kritiker.   
  
Teams that had done so, teams that had defected in previous years, to   
become their own assassins for hire, had a way of ending up dead. But   
with the support of Schwartz-- who had been a pain in the backside for   
Kritiker for years, and still was a pain in the back side, although at   
a more personal level since they were living together, to Weiss-- not   
to mention the backing of the Lady Assassin, Raven, and her son, Ranma,   
it wasn't likely to happen to _them_. Ranma had yet to actually choose   
a codename, but it didn't really matter to him.  
  
After all, he did have three legal identities. Saotome Ranma, Tendou   
Ranko, and Nyu Xue Shi.  
  
"Good, you're all here."  
  
"You expected otherwise?" came Yohji's snide remark. Beneath that, one   
could hear Ken hissing at Schuldich to "let me go", and "go away", and   
"stop bothering me!"  
  
"Schuldich, stop that," Crawford barked, ignoring Kudou's tone, "I want   
all of your attention on this."  
  
"This is important then," Aya raised a blood toned eyebrow at the   
gun-wielding leader of Schwartz.  
  
"Very," Bradley stalked over to the computers, standing between Omi and   
Nagi, "Bring the files the American and Japanese governments sent us   
up."  
  
"Whoa, whoa," Ranma waved a timeout, "Japanese _and_ American   
_governments_? You forgetting something here, Braddie-kins?"  
  
You could almost _hear_ Crawford's teeth grinding as he shot Ranma a   
very dark look. For his efforts his got a cheeky grin from the boy, and   
a sharp glower from Farfello. Crawford would have turned the   
exceedingly dark look on him too, except if one got the Irishman ticked   
off at them, it was unlikely that they'd survive. Future-seer or no.  
  
"We've been contacted by an agent of both governments, promising to   
keep knowledge of exactly who we are a secret. He was sent out under   
the command to hire assassins, then tell the government to exterminate   
them. However, Agent Cole is a former assassin himself, and promised to   
keep it a secret."  
  
"Can we trust him?" Ken was trying hard not to think of the fingers   
Schuldich was idly running down his spine.  
  
"If we can't," Schuldich laughed, "it won't be that hard to mess Mister   
Cole up."  
  
"Yeah, a little bit of Nekoken," Ranma grinned widely, before turning   
to look at the computer screens that spanned the wall and whistled low,   
"Hey, who're the chicks?" Just because he'd fought off the advances of   
four very hot women, didn't mean he hadn't noticed their figures. He   
was a teenaged male, after all.  
  
"The Sailor Senshi," Rache supplied, staring hard at the girls in   
abbreviated sailor fuku. She'd seen them often enough to know who each   
one was, even what her powers were. Rache may have had no idea who   
their human counterparts were, but she had her suspicions. Too many   
things added up and pointed in the same direction, "Vigilantes powered   
by magic, or ki, or talent. I'm not sure which."  
  
"Correct," Crawford actually liked Rache. She was straight and to the   
point-- at least, when it came to these meetings, "And the government   
has come across some interesting bits of information. Apparently, these   
girls have decided to do away with all the current governments of the   
world."  
  
"You're shittin' us!" Ranma barked, "How do a bunch of stupid chicks--   
no offense, Naru-- plan to do that?"  
  
"None taken."  
  
"Thermonuclear weapons?" Farfello had his 'insane-happy' face on. And   
he was raking his fingers down Ranma's arms, gouging a few bloody   
tracks that the boy didn't seem to notice. He'd been toughened by years   
of fighting Ryouga and being hit with Mallet-sama, after all.  
  
"Unlikely," Crawford continued, shooting the group gathered a sharp   
look, basically telling them to shut up and listen, "these girls have   
never shown an interest in using weapons. They've been overheard,   
however, discussing a 'freezing' of the planet."  
  
"With Mercury's ice-based powers, it is possible," Rache mused, "any   
idea of what they plan to do once the governments are out of the way?"  
  
Aya frowned, "Most likely set themselves up as the planet's rulers,   
after 'graciously' saving the population from freezing to death."  
  
"This one," Crawford pointed to the winged figure of Eternal   
Sailormoon, "is who the President of the United States believes will be   
crowned Queen of Earth. Japanese Officials have also confirmed that as   
well as being the leader has been referred to as "Princess" in the   
past."  
  
Ken shifted further away from Schuldich's questing-- er, tormenting   
hands, to look at Crawford in confusion, "How'd they learn any of   
this?"  
  
Yohji snorted, "Look at them, they barely look eighteen, and they've   
been doing this for, what, six years?"  
  
"Four," Rache corrected absently.  
  
"Right, four. That means since they were fourteen. Do you really think   
a fourteen year old can keep a secret from the government if they   
really want to track her down? Hell, the government has probably been   
following them since they first appeared."  
  
Aya, Omi and Nagi nodded in confirmation, then Aya turned to stare at   
the screens, "Do we have information on who these girls really are."  
  
Omi started to respond, but Rache cut him off, "Even if we didn't, it   
wouldn't matter," she bounced to her feet and began to pace, "I'm   
pretty sure I know who they are. How long it's been since they showed   
up, the 'new' students that arrive or vanish for the duration of one   
attack or another... all the pieces fell into place just before you   
showed up, Ranma."  
  
The room was quiet, watching the redhead pad across the room with   
quickly darkening features, "Oh yes, I've been thinking about it for   
awhile now. And I'm pretty sure I know who they are."  
  
Nagi turned and brought up a few more screens, Omi quickly following to   
pull up the remaining ones, "Are these the people you're thinking of?"  
  
Rache stepped up to the screens, to stare at the screen, then nodded   
slowly, reaching one hand up to brush it against one. She tapped the   
image of a blonde teenager in the forehead, "Tsukino Usagi.   
Sailormoon."[1]  
  
"And future Queen of Earth," Ranma snorted, "She's that girl that was   
bugging us today, wasn't she?"  
  
Rache nodded, turning back to face the room. There was a dark scowl on   
her face, "Are we going to kill or incompacitate, Crawford?"  
  
"Either is fine, however the governments would prefer death, to ensure   
their own safety."  
  
"I may not be an assassin," the girl named revenge grinned maliciously,   
"But I volunteer for this mission."  
  
"Then I guess I'll have to watch your back, hmm Schwester?"  
  
Crawford glanced at the group, "That means Ken and Yohji are out. We   
_don't_ need you two accidentally making trouble," both boys were about   
to protest, but cut off at Aya's frosty glare.  
  
Ranma bounded to his feet with a smirk, "I'm up for it. I _really_ want   
to pound on those girls. Feh."  
  
"Farfello and Aya are out," Crawford continued, then turned to Omi and   
Nagi. Nagi nodded after a moment.  
  
"I suppose I'll help."  
  
"I'm supposed to be helping Nabiki-chan," Omi blushed slightly at the   
name, and Ranma almost felt like gagging. He _still_ hadn't figured out   
how it came to be that Nabiki and Omi were dating each other. It was   
kinda gross. But then, he didn't really like either of them, so he   
supposed it wasn't actually all that bad.  
  
"So," Schuldich eyed the group around him, "What are the rest of you   
going to be up to while we play with these little girls?"  
  
Crawford cast his teammate a flat stare, "We still have to work out   
this 'deal' you neglected to tell me about."  
  
"For Christ's sakes, Crawford!" Yohji exploded, and the rest of the   
group rolled their eyes, filtering out of the room. Yohji and Crawford   
were about to start one of their infamous arguments again, "It's been   
four months! Get over it!"  
  
---  
  
At a shrine within Juuban, a certain priestess shivered with the   
premonition of trouble.   
  
At various houses scattered through the district, eight others felt an   
icy chill go down their backs.  
  
And at the Gates of Time, a certain green haired woman stared in horror   
at them. She could see nothing but destruction. The future was   
shadowed, only death foreseeable. There was nothing...  
  
No, not nothing. There was an image of... two new senshi?   
  
She clung to that image. Sailorpluto felt hope blossom. These two...   
they would be the saviors. They had to be-- they were senshi, after   
all.  
  
End Chapter  
  
[1] Of course Naru would figure it out. C'mon, there's too many   
coincidences-- and the stupid hair style.  
  
Hmm, can anyone guess where I'm going with this? Mwahahahahahaha... 


	4. Psuedo-senshi

Ah _Krypt_ you know me so well, don't you? *grins*  
  
Eike... wow, that's... that's... wow, I've never had a compliment like   
that before. I feel special now. Thank you sooooo much! *give Eike a "I   
love True/False Identity badge* There! Now you can show it off to all   
your friends! (Hmmm... maybe I'll make one of those and put it up on   
Faded Fantasies. Hmmm...)  
  
Anyways, school starts in a week. We all know what that means...  
  
... Li Xiang writes better, of course! *shrugs* I've never figured out   
why I write better during school, but it happens. Oh well. Hrm, on that   
note (that I'm going back to classes) I may be getting stuff up late,   
due to my father's need to have me only getting online over the weekends   
until my first report card. Evil man.  
  
  
  
True Identity  
Chapter Three: Psuedo-senshi  
Li Xiang  
  
  
  
"Nononononononononononono!" Ranma glared at her temporary teammates,   
where the four had gathered in her bedroom. It also happened to be the   
only trainning room in the building, and was used judicously by those   
who wanted to during the day. During the night it was considered   
offlimits, unless Ranma himself had granted entrance.  
  
Right now, they were using the training room as the meeting room, Ranma   
seated on her bed, and the others on various training equipment.  
  
Rache snorted, staring at her friend, "If I have to, you do."  
  
"Can't we come up with a better plan?" Ranma-onna whined, staring   
pleadingly at the other woman, "Like, show up at their homes and kill   
them off?"  
  
Nagi shook his head, frowning, "That won't work. The government will   
only look away if the Seerasenshi are dead. Anyone else, and they'll   
investiagte it. If we show up at their homes, we'll have to kill their   
families, too."  
  
Schuldich nodded in agreement, "Not to mention that we're supposed to   
get all the senshi. And more and more just keep popping up."  
  
"But I don't wanna wear a fuku!"  
  
---  
  
Fourteen years old was _not_ the best time to drift away from life long   
friends. Especially ones prone to depression.  
  
Osaka Naru ran her fingers through her hair for the hundredth time that   
night, staring at the phone beside her bed. It did not ring. Not once.   
The green eyed redhead finally let tired eyes rest on the red numbers   
of her alarm clock, "Past midnight?"  
  
She sighed, crawling under her covers, to let the tears burn down her   
cheeks and splatter harmlessly on her pillow.  
  
For the tenth time in so many days, Usagi had broke her promise.   
Everyday the blonde swore she would call, but never did. Naru was   
beginning to think there was something wrong with her. Through bitter   
sobs, she ground out, "Oh sure, Rache, like anything was ever _right_   
about you."  
  
Depression clung to her like a living thing, worrying at her mind,   
destroying her self confidence. She knew it was happening-- she _had_   
gone through it twice before-- but let it take control of her.   
  
What good was a girl who's whole family, and all her friends, left her   
behind?  
  
---  
  
Night had fallen nearly three hours earlier, but one in Juuban park   
would not know it. Not with the brillant flares of magical power   
ripping the air apart, to impact against a seemingly iompervious foe.   
They had been battling for twenty minutes, without luck. Unlike   
previous enemies, this odd tin golem dodged the most powerful attacks,   
and was really only taking his from the faster, lesser power ones.  
  
The Sailorsenshi were failing.   
  
Not that that had been unexpected, Ranma reflected to herself, from her   
perch in a nearby tree. Even she had problems when fighting Nagi's   
telekenetically controlled "friends". The boy had taken up controlling   
the movements of numberous tin constructs over the months, sending them   
after Ranma. They were really training each other-- Ranma was learning   
to fight opponents that didn't feel pain, weren't angered by insults,   
could stop in mid air and hover, and not to mention several other   
tricks the Naoe boy had thrown in. Nagi's powers, on the other hand,   
grew exponentially as he found himself controlling two, three, four at   
a time just to give Ranma the challenge he wanted.  
  
Right now, he only had one to focus on, and could probably continue to   
manevuer the thing around for at the very least another hour. But that   
wasn't part of the plan. What was part of the plan was to introduce   
Ranma and Rache to the Sailorsenshi.  
  
/In sentai-style, to boot,/ the redhead grumbled acidly to Schuldich.   
The telepath snickered in the back of her mind, but didn't respond.  
  
The german and his japanese partner were hiding out on the roof of a   
near-by building, controlling the motions of the fight from there.   
Well, Nagi was. Schuldich was just monitoring the surprisingly   
unsheilded minds of the Sailorsenshi for the perfect moment to jump in.   
One when all the girls would be receptive to the help.   
  
Not that Ranma really wanted to do this. She growlled low in her   
throat, and for the hundredth time since she'd taken up her seat,   
tugged at the hot pink bow at her back, with those irriating ribbons   
that tickled the backs of her legs.   
  
/Schwester! Bishoujo!/  
  
That was the only thing the two psuedo-senshi needed to enter the   
fight. Ranma launched herself up and out of the tree she was in, while   
Rache, who had been on the opposite side of the tree, dropped down to   
race across the ground.  
  
"Outta the way, little ones," Rache barked, darting around them at her   
best speed-- which was amplified by the fact that Nagi was gently   
tugging her forwards, too. Ranma hit the ground lightly, just as Rache   
came to a surprisingly abrupt halt-- she told Schuldich to give Nagi   
her thanks-- both standing between the golem and the out of breath   
Inner Senshi.   
  
Said senshi got a good look at their saviors as the two girls stood   
back-to-back, and side ways. Both were redheads, although the one on   
the right had shorter hair, coming only to her chin, not like the   
shoulder-length locks of her companion. Her fuku colors were golden   
yellow thigh-high stilletto heels, a matching scarf and skirt, while   
her bows, glove piping, and choker were hot pink. The one on the left   
had pair of black platform heels, black bodysuit, black choaker, and   
black gloves. Her skirt and scarf were dark grey, her bows a paler, but   
still dark shade of the same tone. Neither girl wore tiaras, although   
the gold one had a gold tattoo of a star on her forehead, while the   
grey one had what appeared to be bandages wrapped around hers.   
  
The grey one carried a long handled scimitar, while the other was bare   
handed.  
  
Before Eternal Sailormoon could wonder who they were, they introduced   
themselves. Unknown to the girls, both Ranma and Rache had to be   
prompted by Schuldich for a few moments before they _did_ speak.   
Neither girl was really into this whole sentai-save-the-world type   
thing.   
  
"Mistress of the dead world, taker of souls, Sailorcharon!"  
  
"Mistress of the fire world, deliver of souls, Sailorapollo!"   
  
Both 'Charon' and 'Apollo' managed to keep the digust at the cheesy   
intros off their faces, turning to face the tin golem. Apollo's eyes   
glinted dangerously, "But this walking Tin-can already knew that, eh   
Char?"  
  
"If it's being controlled by who we think it is, then of course,   
'Pollo."  
  
Apollo's face split with a wicked grin, and she launched herself   
forwards, Charon following at her heels. The dark senshi's blade bit   
into the golem, slicing the arm from it's body, and Apollo hit the   
separated limb with a blast of ki, turning it into so much dust. This   
was going to be fun.  
  
After a few moments of slaughter, wherein Charon would cut parts off of   
the golem, and Apollo would blast them into oblivion, the two girls   
finally finished it off. A quick mental suggestion that Schuldich and   
Nagi flee was taken into account, and Ranma could feel their signatures   
leaving the area.  
  
It was Sailormoon who approached them, "Who are you two? Are you here   
to help us?"  
  
"Looks that way, don't it?" Ranma drawlled, looking up into the night   
sky, "Sailorapollo at y'er service."  
  
"I am Sailorcharon," Rache introduced herself with a slight bow,   
"Pleasure to meet the fabled Senshi of Tokyo."  
  
Mercury jumped in, then, recalling what the two girls had said about   
the tin golem, "You've fought creatures like that one," she waved at   
the piles of vaporized tin, "before?"  
  
"We have," Charon nodded, trying to hold back a grin. It was more like   
they'd practised a few times to pull this off then come out here. But   
for this plot of their's to work... "We've been tracking these tyncha   
across the globe, attempting to get at their master. Unfortunately,   
he's a lot harder to defeat then these little pieces of trash."  
  
"How did you defeat them so quickly, though?" Mercury was frowning.   
There was nothing magical, what-so-ever, about Charon's sword...  
  
"Can't use magic to cut the things up," Apollo shrugged, "S'why Char   
here gets to be chop-happy with her scimitar, and I do the blasting   
into oblivion." Charon looked about ready to say something else when   
her yellow garbed partner stiffened, frowning, "look, we've gotta git.   
Both o'us have stuff ta do tommarra. Not to mention tonight..."  
  
"I'd forgotten about that!" Charon turned to stare at her friend,   
"You've still got to meet up with the group tonight, don't you?"  
  
"In about five minutes," Apollo agreed, "C'mon, I'm faster than you,   
even wit'cha on my back. Let's jet."  
  
"I'm sure we'll meet again," Charon's smile was a bit mysterious as she   
piggy-backed on Apollo. Then, to the shock of the Inners, the two girls   
shot off as a mere blur.  
  
"Wow..." Venus murmured, "I'd like to be able to run that fast."  
  
---  
  
Crawford hiked an eyebrow as the girls came in, followed by Schuldich,   
of whom was supporting a wobbly Nagi. Rache ignored the inquiring brow,   
heading straight for her bedroom, while Ranma gave the schwartz--   
correction, former schwartz-- leader the evil eye and left. Crawford   
smirked, and Schuldich snickered, "Oh yeah, neither one of them will   
_ever_ want to talk to us again, Crawfish."  
  
"They should know by now that assasination often includes   
infiltration."  
  
"That doesn't mean they apprediate dressing up as a pedophiole's wet   
dream," Nagi forced himself to his feet, barely maing it to the   
common-room couch before he crashed. Keeping a battle up with Ranma and   
Rache, not to mention the prior battle with the senshi, had exhausted   
the boy.  
  
Schuldich smirked, "Only Ranma, bishounen. Rache is eighteen," his eyes   
twinkled, and he turned to leave, "I'm going to find Kenken. Any idea   
where he is, Brad?"  
  
"In his room," the american's gaze narrowed, "Don't call me _Brad_!"  
  
---  
  
Yohji's eyes were glued open as he watched Rache stalk past. If _this_   
was what she had to wear for this missin... he almost whined like a dog   
at his misfortune. Rache was _hot_!  
  
"Take your eyes off her rear, Kudou," Ranma, in a matching outfit, only   
in different colors and thigh-high bitch boots, had stepped up beside   
him, They were far from the best of friends, and often got into fist   
fights, but they were at least speaking semi-civilly to each other,   
"She's almost as pissed off as _I_ am, having to wear these god awful   
uniforms."  
  
"_Those_ are uniforms, Saotome?" the playboy hiked an eyebrow,   
deliberately raking his gaze over her form, "What are you, a french   
maid who dyed her uniform neon?"  
  
"Yohji," Ranma sing-songed sweetly, "would you _like_ to see how bad it   
hurts to have one of these heels ground into your dick?"  
  
"Ah," the Weiss boy backed off a bit, horrified by the squeak in his   
voice, "Ah, that's alright, Ranma. No thanks."  
  
"To bad!" Ranma procliamed cheerfully, snagging Yohji by his collar and   
dragging him towards Rache's room. When they got there, Ranma kocked,   
waited for permission, then entered.   
  
Rache's senshi uniform was on the floor, and she was in a pair of   
boxers and an oversized t-shirt, "Ranma? Yohji?"  
  
"Hi Naru," Yohji got a out a bit weakly, still trying to remove Ranma's   
grip on his shirt. Ranma grinned, and sent the long haired man tumbling   
to the ground.   
  
"Yo, Rache, Kudou here's offered to be part of our enemies forces."  
  
"Really?"  
  
"I _what_?!"  
  
Ranma grinned nastily, "Think of it," she told the man, "as a bit of   
payback for that french maid comment."  
  
"So... what exactly does an enemy do?" Yohji sulked, although there   
were _two_ good points about this arrangement. First, Ranma was   
unlikely to pound on him for the rest of the night, and second... he   
got to see Rache in that uniform! She was soooo hot... his eyes glazed   
over as he went into fantasy mode.  
  
Ranma and Rache both rolled their eyes, having gotten used to Yohji's   
odd behaviour. Ranma turned to her fellow psuedo-senshi, "When he wakes   
up, explain it. I'm going to get changed."  
  
The redhead strolled out of the room, tugging off her evening gloves   
and scarf as she went, glad to finally be taking the crap off. She   
pushed open her own door, ignoring the presence of both Farfello and   
Aya-- who ignored her, as well, seeing how involved in cutting each   
other to ribbons as they were.   
  
Dropping onto her bed, the first things she yanked off were those damn   
boots, letting them clatter to the floor. Still, the boys ignored her--   
but it wasn't like Ranma had any feminine modesty despite what Nodoka   
had tried to teach her-- and stripped the godawful yellow and pink   
fuku, leaving her naked but for the panties and bra Rache insisted she   
wore for the mission.  
  
The clothes she'd been wearing earlier in the day were still scattered   
over her unmade bed. It only took a few more minutes to remove the   
girls underwear, put on his boxers, dump hot water over his head, and   
pull the muscle shirt he favored on.  
  
"Have you finished changing, yet?" Okay, so apparently Aya _had_   
noticed, and averted his eyes.   
  
Ranma snorted, "Yeah."  
  
"Kitty come play?" Farfello questioned with a pout, and the dark haired   
boy glided over, patting Farf on the arm.  
  
"Not right now, Jei-sama, but I have an idea that will be lots of fun   
for you and Ayan."  
  
"Will it hurt God?"  
  
At Ranma's gleeful nod, Aya mumbled, "Psychopaths. Why are   
_psychopaths_ my best friends?" Both forsaid psychopaths ignopred his   
words. They usually did when he got to questioning his sanity or choice   
fo friends.  
  
"You two get to be the villians in out little senshi-killing game," he   
smiled widely.  
  
"I thought Crawford didn't want us there to distract you," Aya hiked an   
eyebrow, and Ranma snickered.  
  
"What he doesn't know, can't hurt him."  
  
"He can see the future, Ranma."  
  
Ranma shrugged, "Whatever. You two and Kudou are the visible enemies.   
Nagi is the inivsible on. Controller of all evil and some shit like   
that."  
  
"And Yohji agreed to this?" Aya was sceptical. Yohji _never_ ran head   
long into _anything_ Ranma suggested. He shrugged again.  
  
"He zoned on Rache and me, so I came to tell you two. This is going to   
be _so_ much fun!"  
  
"I'll bet," Aya grumbled, but tagged along as Ranma led them back to   
Rache's room. The trio of males entered in time to see Yohji scowl.  
  
"I have to wear a _uniform_?!" He hadn't had to wear a uniform since   
his school days-- being a private investigator meant he didn't have to   
have a uniform.  
  
The redheaded girl nodded, "Whatever uniform Nagi wants you to wear,   
you wear. Trust me, I've been used as Sailorsenshi bait enough times to   
know how this works. Our biggest problem is getting Youma and bad guys   
for the sneshi to fight."  
  
"Nah," Ranma dropped onto her bed, Aya staying near the door, and   
Farfello standing beside his pet, "We get Omi to have his girlfriend   
raid Happosei's room in the Tendou Dojo. Oh, yeah, Ayan and Jei-sama   
agreed to be villians."  
  
"We did?" Fujimiya mumbled to himself, and was ignored. Jei grinned his   
favorite psychotically happy grin. He just wished he had a knife to   
lick to improve on the image.  
  
"SO what's in the Tendou Dojo that could help us?"   
  
"The leech has a bunch of scrolls to summon evil spirits," Ranma purred   
deep in his throat as Jei began to run his fingers through the younger   
boy's hair, "Whoever summon one, controls it. Then it's easy for us to   
smash it up."  
  
"One problem," Yohji drawlled, "in case you forgot, Naru doesn't _have_   
offensive abilities, only healing."  
  
"That's what bruder is for," Rache smiled happily at Yohji, oblivious   
to the fact that his brain had shorted out from the hundred watt smile,   
and he was no longer listening, "he can make them think they say my   
scimitar glowing, so it's like the outer senshi's weapons."  
  
"So," Aya was frowning, "We have to wear uniforms designed by Nahi,   
summon demons to fight you, possibly fight you ourselves, and   
ultimately get killed, one by one?"  
  
"Yeap," Rache and Ranma choursed. Jei cheered happily, while Yohji   
zoned and Aya groaned.  
  
---  
  
"Who do you think those two new senshi last night were?" for once, it   
was Usagi who got the ball rolling, "They wore out uniform, so they   
must be from our system, right? They'll be on our side?"  
  
"I don't trust them," Rei proclaimed, scowling mightily, "Something   
is... is _wrong_ with that one in yellow's aura."  
  
"Apollo," Ami corrected absently, not bothering to look up from her   
textbook, "and the other was Charon."  
  
"Isn't Charon Pluto's moon?" Makoto wondered, tapping her chin with one   
long, slender finger. This time, Ami looked up.  
  
"He was also the man who ferried the spirits of the dead into the   
underworld, Pluto's domain. By the color of her fuku, I would assume   
that Salorcharon's world could not sustain life, long before the ned of   
the Silver Millennium."  
  
"So," Usagi smiled, "you're saying Charon and APollo are friends? Did   
you find info on them in your comptuer, or something?"  
  
"There is no data in the Mercury computer on either a 'Sailorcharon' or   
a 'Sailorapollo'."  
  
"But they may be our only hope," Setsuna's voice floated to them, and   
the girls looked up. A split second later they were supporting the   
ragid-looking fashion designer, and helping her sit. She looked so   
ill... "I could never see past a certain point in the timeline. I   
always assumed that _that_ was when Crystal Tokyo would be formed... I   
can see past it now."  
  
"What did you see?" Rei worried her lip, her own visions over the past   
few weeks had been horrible.  
  
"War, Destruction, Mayhem... but that is without Apollo and Charon's   
help. With them, Crystal Tokyo _is_ possible[1]," Setsuna sighed   
heavily, "it seems that Chaos was not the last enemy."  
  
---  
  
Xue Shi sneezed, rubbing her nose irritably.  
  
"Bless you," Oz mumbled automatically, as the young man stared out into   
the night club. As always, a spot of white hair surrounded by red and a   
splash of brown caught his attention, and he found himself staring into   
a single, possessive amber eye. Oz felt his wofl stir angrily, annoyed   
that another alpha had moved into his territory.  
  
The teen shoved the feeling away, knowing full well all Jei cared about   
was the young woman who's band he was a part of.  
  
"Thanks Oz," the redhead combed her hair with her fingers, "Someone   
must be talking about me... Anyways, we've got a gig to play. Let's   
go!"  
  
  
End Chapter  
  
  
[1] Just not probable. At least, not since "Charon" and "Apollo" have   
been assigned to kill the senshi. 


	5. Villians

*grins, blushing, and scratching the back of her head* Seamlessly?   
I've crossed them over seamlessly? Oh wow, all that practise with LoD   
and AM and all my other weird little uncontinued crossovers must have   
really helped... but that's such a wonderful comment, Jade Hunter!   
Thank you ever so much!  
  
WyldeHorse, Adyen - I do write faster. I actually haven't worked on   
True Identity AT ALL for the last month or so. I hit a bit of a   
stumbling block (read: My father yelled at me to "do something else   
for a change"), and ended up spending a few weeks out of the house.   
  
And of course, there's the fact that I've been stalking Arylon   
*stalkstalkstalk* on the BnG forums.  
  
  
True Identity  
Chapter Four: Villains  
Li Xiang  
  
  
Xue Shi stared across the room at her opponent, wondering if _this_   
would be the battle she lost... no! Saotome Ranma never loses, and Xue   
Shi was Ranma. She. Would. Win.  
  
Even if she had to beg to do it.  
  
"C'mon Oz, you can't tell me you'd rather live here than in your own   
room-- you're amerikajin! You guys _like_ everything big and huge, and   
with lots of room. Fei and Nobuyuki already said they'd come if you   
did."  
  
Considering she'd been at this for over an hour, it was no surprise   
that Oz finally caved in, "Alright, alright! We'll move in with you   
and your friends!"  
  
This is a bad idea, he thought to himself, My wolf does _not_ like   
Farfello...  
  
---  
  
"I wonder who Apollo and Charon really are," Minako mumbled to   
Artemisu as she strolled towards the Crown arcade. The white cat was   
sprawlled across her shoulders.  
  
Artemisu shrugged, "I'm not sure. Normally when a new senshi shows up,   
there's someone new in the area-- but we haven't seen anyone new in a   
long while. Especially not two redheads.  
  
Minako nodded in agreement before entering the arcade.  
  
---  
  
Osaka Naru looked up as the tired form of Tsukino Usagi settled in   
front of her, "I'm sorry I didn't call last night, Naru-chan. I'll   
call tonight, I promise!"  
  
Naru smiled, "Really? That's great! ... Uhm, Usagi-chan I've been   
wondering why you--"  
  
"Usagi-chan!" the madly waving form of Kino Makoto had Usagi bouncing   
to her feet, all previous tiredness fading away. Without even waving   
goodbye, Usagi had run off to Makoto's side with a gleeful shriek of   
"Mako-chan!"  
  
Naru watched them for a few minutes, then looked down at her food.   
Suddenly not feeling all that hungry, she snapped her obento closed   
and went off in search of her boyfriend.  
  
He was probably in the computer room again, making viruses. Guiro   
Umino was strangely skilled at that, the redhead mused as she padded   
back into the school. He also had a tendency to forget to eat as he   
worked.  
  
She smiled, but it was tinged with sadness. Why had her best friend   
left her without even a wave of goodbye?  
  
---  
  
Aya and Yohji _stared_. They stared long and hard, but it was stills   
taring. Yohji was the first to speak, "_These_ are our Uniforms?"  
  
"You don't like them?" Nagi had raised an eyebrow in question. Near by   
Racyhe, Ranma and Schuldich snickered. Farfello was picking at the   
uniform he already wore.  
  
"Nagi," Aya ground out, "What the _hll_ gave you the idea that _these_   
were uniforms?!"  
  
The boy shrugged, "I saw some new images of what the senshi's enemies   
have worn int he past., With a little help from Rache and her artisti   
talents-- not to mention Ranma's money-- I got these made."  
  
"But I look like a harem-boy!" Yohji whined, lifting the tight leather   
pants, the black leather dog collar, and the leather vest he'd be   
wearing. More buckles and straps fell off the vcest, tumbling to the   
floor.  
  
Rache blinked innocently, "_I_ think you would look nice..."  
  
That shut Kudou up. The next insant, he was off in bliss-land again,   
daydreaming. Oh, yeah Ranma snickered, Kudou has it _bad_. Aya on the   
other hand...  
  
He pulled the red silk pants up, staring at them. Nothing wrong with   
them-- he'd wear those-- it was the leather straps meant to be wrapped   
around the legs. Instead of a vest, or going barechested, Aya had a   
matching blood red sleeveless turtleneck. Red bracers would go voer   
black gloves. And there were lots and lots of straps.  
  
"No."  
  
"Ayan," Ranma trilled, ignoring the death glare he got in return, "Why   
not?"  
  
"Because," the irate redhead growled. Ranma sighed.  
  
"Because why?"  
  
The redhead glared further, and Ranma snorted, "Jei-sama likes his."  
  
"That's because he's insane," Aya grumbled, glancing over at the   
one-eyed assassin. He had a pair of bleached white jeans on, a white   
t-shirt that was little more than strings attached to seams, and   
showed off just as many scars as his usual jacket-vest did. With the   
exception of his collar, every single black strap that bound his arms   
or legs had a knife tucked beneath them.  
  
"If I let you wear your trenchcoat," Nagi's voice brought him back   
from his observations-- a sick feeling spinning in his stomach, he   
promised himself to look at that feeluing in more detail later-- and   
he turned his attention on the youngest member of the two groups,   
"Will you wear your uniform?"  
  
"Sure," he could always just clo--  
  
"Of course," Ranma cut in before he could finish his thought, "You   
can't close the jacket over your uniform."  
  
"I never agreed to that!" Aya snapped, and Ranma stuck his tongue out.  
  
"Don't you have something you're supposed to be doing, Bishoujo?"  
  
Ranma _glared_ at the telepath for reminding him. Grumbling, the young   
man stalked out of the room, headed for his own. He _Really_ hated   
this mission. Stupid fuku.  
  
---  
  
"You want me to _what_?!" Nabiki jerked out of her beau's loose   
embrace, spinning around on her bed to face the seventeen year old,   
"Have you forgotten that _he's_ the reason behind my little sister's   
coma?!"  
  
Omi sighed, crossing his arms over his chest, "I know, but this is   
_really_ important."  
  
"Important _how_?" the brunnette glowered at Tsukiyono, "You're asking   
me to help Ranma kill someone!"  
  
"Important that _Yohji_ begged me to ask you."  
  
"Balinese?" At this the middle Tendou got confused, "Yohji and Saotome   
rarely-- if _ever_-- agree!"  
  
"I know," Omi reached forwards to draw her into his arms again. They   
were still getting used to being a couple-- they'd been best friends   
forever, and liked each other alot-- it was only logical that they   
took it to the next step. Nabiki curled up in his lap, resting her   
head against his shoulder. Omi continued after a few moments of   
silence, "This is Naru's first mission. Yohji likes her alot-- so much   
that he's cut back on his flitter almost by half!-- and he doesn't   
want her to get hurt. I think this is more so for her, than for   
Ranma."  
  
Nabiki nodded, wrapping her arms around his middle, beneath his   
jacket. For a some reason, she felt so cold... "I understand that. If   
I get those scrolls for you, Omittchi, I want something in return."  
  
"I should have known," he mumbled, resting a cheek upon the top of her   
head, "How much do you want?"  
  
"Not momney," she sounded vaguely amused, and _very_ determined, "What   
I want is power."  
  
"Power?"  
  
Nabiki's smile was shark-like in it's visciousness, "Enough to be more   
than a minor nuisence to Ranma. I want the power to physically   
_destroy_ him."  
  
---  
  
Apollo and Charon were in position, ready to bound in and save the day   
the moment Schuldich gave the signal. _That_ didn't matter. What   
mattered was that it was fall, and Yohji was frickin' freezing!  
  
The black leather vest may have made him look hot, but the fact that   
he was all but bare chested, was all that was on his mind as he   
crossed his arms over his chest and chaffed them in an attempt to warm   
up. In the back of his mind, he was cussing out a certain telekinetic,   
but int he forefront he was wondering why Japan had to get so damned   
cold. And why did Aya get to wear a jacket?!  
  
/Because Nagi had Rache design your outfit./ Was the german man's   
distracted response. Yohji blinked-- Schuldich had been distracted? By   
what? The only time he... oh, Yohji smirked to himself. He'd gotten   
used to Schuldich's never ending quest of getting Ken into the sack.   
Apparently, even being on a mission didn't stop those attempts. There   
was even a bet at the House for how long it would take Ken to break   
down and give in.  
  
"So how much longer are we going to end up waiting for Omi and those   
scrolls to show up?" Yohji scowled at Aya and Jei, who stood not all   
that far away, apparently neither feeling the fall night's chill. Aya   
cast his team mate an irritated glance.  
  
"Omi's a block and a half to the east," he grunted, "He'll be here in   
a few minutes."  
  
As he'd predicted, it only took Tsukiyono six minutes to reach the   
parking lot of the building they stood upon. A quick mental relay   
between him, Nagi, and Schuldich had the telekinetic levitating the   
scrolls to the rooftop, and Omi leaving the area. It would do no good   
to be in the area when the Sailorsenshi inevitably arrived to "save   
the day".  
  
There was something else Rache had noticed while acting as bait for   
target for the various "bad guys"-- they didn't use real demons. They   
used demon-human or demon-item breeds. The Sailorsenshi had never   
fought a hell-beast before. They would be woefully unprepared. Ranma--   
excuse me, Apollo-- had killed a god. A hell-beast, evil spirit, or a   
demon would be very easy to beat in comparison. The scrolls were   
designed to bring such creatures into this plane of existence.   
  
The Sailorsenshi wouldn't know what hit them, but Ranma and Rache   
would be able to swoop in and save the day. Now they just had to   
decide who was going to be the first "henchman" to attack.  
  
It fell to the age-old classic way of deciding. Jan ken pon.  
  
Yohji would be going first. After randomly slecting one of the ancient   
scroolls-- apparently made of papyrus of all things-- the black   
leather clad white hunter called upon his own leassons in the art of   
properly roof-hopping. After having refused lessons from Schuldich and   
Ranma, he'd convinced Aya to teach him.  
  
In any case, the long haired playboy jumped a couple of roofs over and   
opened the scroll. After a few minutes, 2with the heiroglyphs on the   
scroll still not making any sense, he looked around for something to   
help. His eyes lit upon the sheet of paper that had fallen out when he   
opened the scroll.  
  
"The translation![1]" he grinned, reading the sheet. This would make   
summoning a demon much easier. His stomach began to do flip-flops as   
he read the translated words...  
  
---  
  
"There! It's over there!" Mercury pointed one slender finger towards   
the massive amounts of property damage created by their current enemy.   
Only the Sailorsenshi would have needed someone to point out the   
blantantly opbvious.  
  
When they got there, they did not get what they expected. They had   
expected what they always got-- a vaguely human female form, made out   
of something or other.  
  
What they got was a thin and sickly looking creature, it's ribs   
showing on it's chest, and skin sagging over muscle and bone. It was a   
brownish beige color, with a beast-like head that extended back with a   
long crest. Winds of pitch and its skin-tone curved around its body. A   
segmented tail helped to balance it.   
  
And standing behind it, was a smug looking black leather wearing man.  
  
"That must be the one controlling this youma!" Mercury declared,   
staring into her computer screen, hoping to be given knowledge on who   
this man-- or his beast-- was. There was nothing on the man, and   
whenever she tried for the beast, the information was encrypted with   
the codes of that only the Royal Family of the Moon had known how to   
beat.   
  
"But he's so hot!" whined Venus, Jupiter jumping in with her usual,   
"He looks like my old Sempai!" They continued staring at him in   
adoration until he uncrossed his arms.  
  
Pointing at them, the strange man commanded, "Midnight Fiend![2]   
Destroy those girls!"  
  
The beast turned from destroying massive amounts of property to   
attacking the girls. They shriejked at the first attack-- not even   
hhaving the chance to shout their speeches-- before retaliating.  
  
---  
  
/I can't exactly jsut give them my _real_ name!/ Yohji growled to   
Schuldich over the tight ban.  
  
/Yeah, calling Playboy "Kudou" might actually give those girls a   
clue!/  
  
A snort from Rache, /They can't even get a clue when it's standing   
under their noses./  
  
Schuldich was more or less wondering if using his telepathy to connect   
them all together like this was a good idea. He was getting the mother   
of all migraines.  
  
/We do need to use names other than our own, or our codenames,/ Aya   
mused.  
  
/Especially since you used to be two different groups,/ Both   
psudeo-senshi came out with at the same time. Both girls blinked, and   
Schuldich laughed at the stero words. It was Nagi who came up witht he   
solution.  
  
/We should choose the names of gods from another religion, the   
Sailorsenshi are named for gods, afterall./  
  
There was a round of agreement-- except from Jei, who objected until   
Ranma pointed out that it was a form of blasphemy-- and it was Rache   
who brought up the all important question, /But which religion?/  
  
/The scrolls looked pretty old,/ Aya tapped his chin in thought, /What   
language were they in, Yohji?/  
  
/Egyptian,/ the playboy was starting to sound nervous, /The   
Sailorsenshi may be having some trouble-- but more have shown up!   
Could we hurry this up, _please_?!/  
  
/We hear ya, Playboy,/ Ranma grumped at the sametime Nahi declared   
their names.  
  
/Egyptian gods, then. Yohji you are Horus. Aya, you're Osiris.   
Farfie'll be Ptah. And I'll be Amun-Ra./  
  
/We'll get an explaination later,/ Schuldich barked, / Ranma! Rache!   
Go!/  
  
/Right!/ and the two teens shot off. Unliek the night a few days   
previous, they didn't come out of a tree. Instead, Ranma dropped down   
from a roofttop as Rache tore in from an alley across fromt eh battle   
zone. Apollo set herself up to take the battle to the Fiend, while   
Charon stood in a defensive position between the injured and the down   
senshi. Apollo made short work of the hell-beast, utliziing the fairly   
deep ki resevers she had "gained" after dueling with Saffron, to five   
off varying strength ki-blasts.  
  
Once again, Mercury pointed out the very obvious, by pointing at   
Yohji-- that is to say, at Horus, "He was the one controlling it!"  
  
Charon's emerald and Apool's blue steel gaze turned to Yohji. APollo   
didn't have to act-- she and Yohji were definately not the best of   
friends-- and the blue-eyed redhead growled, "Horus. Should'a known   
you'd show up, ya bastard."  
  
"And I should have realised _you_ were still an immature bitch," he   
shot back, his gaze more-or-less steady on Charon's-- not Apollo's--   
form. He wasn't really consciously hearing the insults, and was only   
subconsciously responding.  
  
Charon's shiver of delight upon seeing the leather-clad man was easily   
mistaken for disgust by the senshi who could only see her back. She   
barely dragged her mask into place, drawing her scimitar and aiming it   
at her wanna-be neau, Horus.  
  
"Think I can fire one off before he moves, 'Pollo?" Apollo let a blue   
glow flare around her hands.  
  
"Doubtful, he's a fast asshole."  
  
"And you'll be dead in a moment," Yohji was going to enjoy this as   
much as he possibly could. Nagi was going to boost all his actions and   
reactions so he could actually keep up with Ranma for once. This would   
be _so_ much _fun_!  
  
Apollo smirked in response, and the two of them lundged at each toher.   
Just as they always did while "sparring"-- in reality, Ranma beating   
the crap out fo Yohji-- Apollo led off, but this time, Horus could   
retaliate. And retaliate he did. They duked it out, punch for punch,   
Horus wincing every-so-often, and Apollo grinning widely.  
  
As Apollo ducked under a cresent kick, whirling to sweep Horus' feet   
out from beneath him, Charon noticed movement out of the corner of her   
eye. With Ranma-borne relfexes, Charon grabbed the Moon Tier, and   
stared hard into Eternal Sailormoon's eyes, "Don't interupt them.   
Apollo and Horus' enimity goes way back-- to before she learned who   
she was. To interupt one of their battles is to invite _both_ their   
wrath down on you," to prove her point, Rache rubbed her hip, "I've   
learned from experience."  
  
"There must be one hell of a story behind this," Mars growled.  
  
Charon's lips curled, but she calmed herself, "There is. You're likely   
to hear it later if you keep messing it up with Horus, and the rest of   
his buddies. Now shut up and watch the fight."  
  
Apollo had planted her feet into Horus' back, having leapt over him   
when he attempted to tackle her. He recovered by throwing his arms   
forwards and shooting through a flip-- attempting to ram his feet into   
her chest. He missed, and she swept in with a sharp one-two combo   
followed by a roundhouse kick. He had ducked out of the punches'   
reach, but the kick caught him squarely in the ribs.   
  
He took a tumble, rolling out of the way bare seconds before Apollo's   
fist ripped throught he ground where his head had been.  
  
/What are you trying to do-- kill me?!/ he swept a kick away from   
himself, stepping into her guard for a rabbit punch to her throat-- it   
missed, Ranma having bent at an impossible angle away from him.  
  
/I didn't hit you, did I?/ the redhead barked back, /I slowed down   
enough so you could dodge!/ she finished bending over by turning it   
into a flup, catching him sharply in the jaw with both heels.   
  
Horus went flying backwards, and would have attempt to reorientate   
himself to rebound off the tree he was headed for-- had he not been   
intercepted.  
  
Aya stood, in all his red silk and black leather trenchcoated--   
complete with katana-- glory. He set Horus down on his feet with a   
smirk, "I see you are as skilled as ever, Apollo."  
  
"...Osiris," Apollo's slight hesitate, mistake for distaste, was   
really just her asking Schuldich what Aya's name was again, "How...   
nice to see you again."  
  
The two redheads spent a few minutes in a staring contest, breaking   
only when Charon spoke.  
  
"Blade-to-blade, you and me, Osiris!"  
  
Violet eyes stared her down, "You aren't ready to duel me, yet,   
Charon. Perhaps another time."  
  
"C'mon Osiris-- let's double team them!" Yohji was really getting into   
this. It was almost like he was in highs chool agian, locke dup in one   
classroom or another, playing their role play games. He had really   
missed those games once had had started in with Weiss.   
  
Osiris' cool gaze switched to him, "Amun-Ra would like to have a word   
with you about recklessness, Horus."  
  
"Well, you know Horus," Apollo was walking closer, cracking her   
knuckles, "The little Playboy just can't resist my charms."  
  
Osiris smirked at the smaller fo the two remale redheads, "Ptah sends   
his greetings _Bastet_." She froze, as though someone had turned her   
swtich to 'off'. Osiris and Horus merely seemed to fade out of   
existence, leaving the senshi alone, with a lot of questions.  
  
And according to the plan, neither Apollo or Charon could leave. They   
would have to answer any and all questions, if they were to gain the   
trust of the Sailorsenshi.  
  
---  
End Chapter  
  
Aren't I evil? *waggles a finger* Now, no sicking Asuza on me,   
Matthew (which number were you again? *grins*), or no more True   
Identity for you!  
  
There were times that as I typed this, Mai's voice popped into my   
head, either laughing, or saying the lines. Don't know who Mai is?   
Don't worry about it.   
  
Now, I'm off to the Royal Tyrell Musuem for a day trip. Spend a couple   
hours in a car there and back, but it's gunna be fun. I haven't been   
there in years.  
  
[1] Oh c'mon, you don't think Happi would have left the scroll   
untranslated? He translated it for his own useage!  
  
[2] Yes, it's _that_ Midnight Fiend. If you don't know what I'm   
talking about, ignore it. 


	6. Plots

I ran out of pre-written chapters to put up, so I've started writing   
again. I think the break from the Identity-verse did me a lot of good.   
I've got nice, new and fresh ideas to play with, and I'm not staring at   
the fic going 'huh?' while trying to understand what I typed up.   
  
Although, I have done a bit of staring at False Identity doing the "I   
wrote that? No way!" thing ;)  
  
Eike - No, I don't have a livejournal. You could give me one? *perks up*   
Really? That'd be awesome. Here, email me: jutsu@3web.net  
  
  
  
True Identity  
Chapter Five - Plots  
Li Xiang  
  
  
  
Nabiki paused at the foot of her sister's hospital bed, staring into   
the lax face of her younger sister. Memories of their mother flashed   
through her head, images of the woman sprawled out over the bed. It had   
been after her mother's death that she had joined Kritiker. A younger   
girl with an insane talent for numbers, and ferreting out secrets,   
Kritiker had welcomed her with open arms, and trained her how to use   
her skills.  
  
They would pay for Akane's up keep as long as she was part of their   
service. And once you were a part of Kritiker, you _never_ left.   
  
"Don't you worry, Akane. Ranma _will_ pay for this," the brunette   
proceeded to turn on her heel and pad out of the hospital room. A   
commotion a few doors down caught her eye, and she turned to   
investigate.  
  
Despite being weak from not moving for several months, Xian Phu refused   
to accept any help in standing. Tears rolled down the amazon's face,   
fingers reaching up, desperately entangled in short violet hair. It   
fell ragged around her ears, and Nabiki recalled a passage she'd seen   
in the amazon book of laws, 'Any Female Warrior who loses status among   
the warriors, shall have their hair removed'.  
  
Stepping into the room, she tapped a doctor on the shoulder, "Who was   
the one who cut her hair? That's what she'd upset about."  
  
"A bad haircut?" he gave the teenager beside him a strange look, "And   
someone shaved her head after we got her stabilized a few months back.   
We found her hair tied in a bundle beside her."  
  
As he spoke the words, Xian Phu sunk to her knees, sobbing. Her lips   
moved as though to speak, but only a whistle of air passed through   
them. Fingers feel from her hair to touch her lips, then her throat,   
finding the raised, long jaded scar that ran across it. Her tears fell   
harder, and not even the ice queen could stay frozen. The older teen   
gathered the younger into her arms, and rocked her gently back and   
forth.   
  
All the while whispering promises of revenge on Ranma and Farfello.  
  
---  
  
They were trapped, cornered, surrounded on all sides... and they could   
hear Schuldich laughing.  
  
Rache's suspicions on who the girls were, as well as the government   
reports, were confirmed as the two pseudo-senshi were herded back   
towards Hikawa Jinga-- Hino Rei's shrine. Apollo and Charon had been   
surrounded by the senshi, as though they were some sort of honor guard,   
and taken back to the shrine. The ground came to a rest in the grove of   
cherry trees behind Hikawa Jinga, Charon sitting cross-legged on the   
ground, and Apollo taking a perch on a low branch. The other senshi all   
took various positions around them.  
  
"All right," Charon closed her eyes and leaned back against the tree   
behind her, "We'll answer any question you ask that we can, as long as   
it won't effect those we care about."  
  
"Sounds reasonable," Neptune pursed her lips, and Uranus smirked. The   
short-haired blonde popped the first question.  
  
"Who the hell are you?!"  
  
Apollo snickered, "Short tempered, ain't she?"  
  
"Xue..." Charon warned with a sharp look. Apollo grinned back, having   
lived through both the Abyssian Death Glare, and the Crawford Stare of   
Doom(tm), Charon's Look of Impending Violence(tm) was nothing. They   
grey garbed "senshi" looked back at those around them, "We'll tell you,   
if you tell us."  
  
Sailormoon spoke up, before anyone could tell her otherwise, "Of   
course! I'm Tsukino Usagi!" with a thought, the winged woman was   
replaced by the blonde eighteen year old. In similar manner the rest of   
the senshi introduced themselves-- although both Hino Rei and Tenou   
Haruka sent the two redheads dark looks.  
  
Said redheads panicked for a moment-- neither had realised that the   
uniforms could be banished as such, before Usagi shrieked,   
"Naru-chan?!"  
  
/Don't you just _love_ messing with people's minds?/  
  
/Danke Bruder!/ Rache sent her mental reply quickly, returning to the   
conversation to hear Ranma introduce herself.  
  
"--Nyu Xue Shi."  
  
"_The_ Nyu Xue Shi?!" Tomoe Hotaru practically _threw_ herself at   
Ranma, "The singer? The one who realised 'Noir et blanc'?!"  
  
"That would be me," Xue Shi grinned, "But I think the girl guide squad   
wants to ask some questions."  
  
"Girl Guide Squad?!" Haruka actually had to be held back from attacking   
the redhead as she roared at the insult. Seething, the blonde settled   
down, if only to plan out Xue Shi's rather elaborate death.  
  
"Calm down!" Rache barked, "Xue! Don't you _dare_ start anything now!"  
  
"Whoa, Naru," Xue Shi waved her hands, "_you_ calm down. I was just   
teasin' them..."  
  
"I _do_ know why you tease people, Xue Shi. Don't start back sliding   
again."  
  
"Back sliding?" Mizuno Ami jumped in, "Does this have anything to do   
with that... Osiris-person's comment of being 'Bastet'?"  
  
Xue Shi bared her teeth in a snarl, "It _might_--"  
  
"Xue Shi," Rache cut her 'partner' off, "Doesn't like to think about   
that. One of the enemy-- a psychopath named Ptah-- took a liking to   
her. He kidnaped her, turned her into his little slave Bastet, and   
unleashed her onto the world."  
  
Xue Shi's voice was properly subdued as they spoke of the story cooked   
up by Schuldich and Aya during Apollo and Horus' fight, "The only   
reason I'm not still under his control is because of my awakening."  
  
"Awakening?" quoted the senshi-proper.   
  
Xue Shi hiked an eyebrow, "What do you call the awakening of your   
Sailorsenshi selves?"  
  
"We never really thought of that," Kino Makoto shook her head.  
  
Usagi shifted, tangling her finger sin one pigtail, "Why didn't you say   
your were a Sailorsenshi before, Naru-chan?"  
  
"Why didn't you?"  
  
Before it could degenerate into a bawling Moon Princess, Rei asked her   
own question, "How long have you two been senshi?"  
  
Rache frowned. This was going to be a hard one... "A few months now, I   
was awoken because my brother was mucking around with a few of his   
toys--"  
  
"You don't _have_ a brother!" Usagi got out, and proceeded to back down   
at the fierce glare she got in return.  
  
"Schuldich and I were separated when our parents put us up for adoption   
when we were little. It was pure chance I found him a year ago," Rache   
stood up, looking up at her 'partner', "We've leaving _now_. Let's go,   
Xue." She stalked off into the darkness. Xue Shi cast the girls an   
unreadable look.  
  
"Schu means everything to Naru. Don't even dare think of suggesting   
they aren't related, ever again. She may not be the most powerful or   
the most dangerous-- but that doesn't mean _I'm_ not," with that   
not-so-subtle threat, Xue Shi bounded into the trees.  
  
They had confirmed the identities of all but two of the senshi.   
Chibimoon and Pluto were the only ones not present. They could get   
whoever those two were confirmed another time. Right now, what really   
mattered was that Rache had shot off into the night, upset. And dressed   
up like a whore.  
  
Ranma put on the speed, tracking the now familiar signature of Rache's   
personal aura.  
  
---  
  
Omi stepped into Nabiki's room, one of only two people allowed to do so   
without knocking, and came upon an interesting scene. Nabiki in her   
room was normal. A lavender haired woman seated cross-legged on her bed   
was not. For a moment, he stared at the younger teen in confusion, then   
turned back to his girlfriend.  
  
He slid his backpack off his back, and proceeded to drop it in her lap.  
  
"What's this?"  
  
Omi draped his arms loosely over her shoulders, "You said you wanted to   
be able to physically harm Saotome. I visited Tao Pei's shop in the   
Ginza-- and considering Ranma's curse, you'd have to believe in   
magic..."  
  
"How do you--" Nabiki stopped as Xian Phu stuck a note in her face,   
"Shampoo? What do you..." she paused long enough to actually read the   
kanji scrawled across the page. She blinked then turned to the lavender   
haired teen, "You're kidding. Tao Pei's an amazon?"  
  
Both seventeen year olds read the second note, "She was banished?" Omi   
looked confused, "Why?"  
  
Xian Phu made as thought o speak, proceeded to scowl at her lack of   
that particular ability, and scribbled something else out. 'She dabbled   
in black magic. The elders banished her.'  
  
Omi cocked his head to one side, "You should learn sign language. It   
would make communicating much easier."  
  
"We were planning on it," Nabiki fingered the books in her lap, "Black   
Magic, hmmm? This would most likely be the _only_ way I can make Ranma   
pay. For what he did to Akane, and what he did to you, Shampoo."  
  
The lavender haired teenager grinned at Nabiki, quickly scrawling out,   
'Tao Pei is my mother. She taught me some of her spells. I can help you   
learn.'  
  
Omi barely even blinked as all this was planned out. He would have to   
be close by in order to prevent the two females from actually _killing_   
Ranma, but he didn't really mind if the sociopathic martial artist got   
hurt. The gender-bender would be able to handle it.  
  
'First,' Xian Phu wrote, 'You need to choose a basis. A basis is a   
person upon whom you bind your mind to, as the strain of the higher   
dark magicks can destroy your mind; the basis' presence in the back of   
your mind will help to keep you sane...'  
  
---  
  
And somewhere out there, Hibiki Ryouga was working himself into a fine   
rage as he searched for Ranma.  
  
He had yet to find out about Akane.  
  
---  
  
Rache had found herself in a bit of a tough spot.   
  
Okay, maybe more than "a bit" she corrected herself, as she found   
herself being backed into an alley not all that far away from the House.   
A few blocks at most. Unfortunately, she could _feel_ every _millimeter_   
of those three or four blocks, and knew that she was alone.   
  
She could have reached out along that telepathic link to her brother and   
called for help.   
  
When you're scared shitless over what's going to happen to you, you   
don't exactly think straight. Her mind was gibbering with fear as she   
realized she was a scantily clad girl surrounded by seven or eight   
really, really big men. She was terrified, although there was a small   
piece of her that was distant from what was happening, watching with a   
faint edge of curiosity, as though she was watching some documentary   
re-enactment.   
  
The rest of her mind was screaming in terror over the fact that she'd   
really ignored all but the basics of her training with Schuldich and   
Ranma, which meant she could barely take out _one_ guy, let alone eight.   
  
"Hmph. Picking on one lone girl is really pathetic," came the   
oh-so-familiar, and oh-so-welcome cockily mocking tones of one currently   
female Saotome Ranma. Following that was an equally familiar laugh, and   
a nasal German accented voice floated on the air in accompaniment.  
  
"Maybe we should train these little puppies not to attack their masters,   
liebchen."  
  
Ranma smiled, cracking her knuckles, "As long as you promise never to   
call me that again, I think this should be fun."  
  
The toughs turned to the two interlopers, and one of them smirked, "Hey   
guys! Looks like we gots us a coupla twins."  
  
"Hey, mista," another grinned nastily, "If ya leave 'ere right now, an'   
let us have da girls, we won't have any problems wit ya."  
  
"Now, you see," Schuldich tilted his head to one side, emerald eyes   
turning hard, "That's a bit of a problem. You see, that's my sister you   
have over there. I don't like my family getting hurt. And well, Bishoujo   
here just likes to cause havoc."  
  
Ranma grinned nastily, cracking her knuckles and licking her lips,   
"Havoc, fun, is there a difference? Maiming, killing... now that's   
honest fun."  
  
"Ha!" one of the men chuckled, "Like some little slut like--" he never   
finished his sentence as Ranma had moved. The redhead had first planted   
her elbow into his solar plexus, used the position to back fist his   
face. Following that, she'd twisted, lashed out with a sharp kick that   
caught him in the side of his head and sent him flying to the other side   
of the alley. All within a few seconds  
  
"I'm no slut," she stated sweetly, to the man trying to get back to his   
feet, "You, though... you happen to be in the list of people 'about to   
die a painful-painful bloody death'."   
  
As Saotome distracted the toughs, Schuldich had used his considerable   
speed to go in, grab Rache, and get out. The two Germans stood at the   
mouth of the alley, "Just be home in time for sun-up, Bishoujo. And if   
you're going to get messy, at least keep something for Farf to play   
with, this time."  
  
She grinned ruthlessly, "Whatever."  
  
---  
  
End Chapter  
  
And I'm cutting that off here, because I'm running out of time. If   
enough people ask, I'll put Ranma's little fight scene in the next   
chapter. If not... *shrugs* I'll just continue the story starting on the   
next day. It doesn't really matter either way to me. As it is, this evil   
author has much to be doing right now. Like updating her Yu-Gi-Oh   
website. 


	7. Filler

Well, for those who don't know, which is everyone but Eike, I have a   
livejournal now. Yay for Li Xiang! Do a dance everybody! You can peek   
in on the wide wonderful world of Li Xiang every day!   
  
http://www.livejournal.com/~users/foxymouse  
  
Ah yes, I am the Foxy Mouse. If you want that explained, ask, I'm not   
going to waste time explaining it here.   
  
I picked such a good title for this chapter, ne?  
  
  
True Identity  
Chapter Six - "Filler"  
  
  
  
Nagi looked up as several howling screams of pain were cut off   
abruptly. Understanding washed over him as Rache and Schuldich stepped   
away from the House's now closed "front" door.  
  
"Ranma is playing," Rache stated as confirmation of the fifteen year   
old's unvoiced question. She was trembling ever so slightly, but her   
brother's presence seemed to calm he, so Prodigy turned back to his   
"work."  
  
Actually, cracking Bill Gate's personal fortune to set aside money for   
the group to spend was more of a hobby than any sort of actual work.  
  
Schuldich had draped a comforting arm across his sister's shoulders,   
and steered her towards her room, she needed rest, after all. He was so   
concerned over his sister's well being that he didn't even notice it   
when he walked past Ken.  
  
Hidaka watched, confused for a moment, then continued on his own way.   
He'd been helping Xue Shi's band to move in, and this was the last box.   
It was also one of Oz's. He shifted nervously, knocking on the   
werewolf's door.   
  
Oh, everyone in the House knew Oz was a wolf; Schuldich had plucked the   
information from the guitarist's mind, and proclaimed it to everyone.   
Unlike with Ranma, Oz's feral mind and state of being was, for the   
majority, locked away until his shape change under the full moon.  
  
Every other time, Oz's mind was perfectly human, and that's how   
Schuldich snagged the wolf-boy's knowledge. Schwartz hadn't cared--   
Crawford and Schuldich had seen worse at Rozenkreuz, for one-- Weiss   
had muttered something about the world going to hell, but didn't change   
in their attitudes towards the Ozborne, and "Xue Shi" had blinked,   
shrugged, and stated that Oz was _lucky_ before explaining her curse.   
Everyone was comfortable with living with a werewolf.  
  
Although, apparently, Ken had known longer than the others aside from   
Xue Shi's band.  
  
Ken's hesitation was brought to an abrupt end when Oz's door swung   
open, "C'mon in, Ken."  
  
"Just dropping off your stuff, Oz," Ken edged in, dropping off the box   
and turned to leave. Oz snapped the door shut.  
  
"We've gotta talk 'Ken'."  
  
"Ah, sorry, busy, must go now!" Ken babbled, grinning sickly, and shot   
past the wolf. Said werewolf snagged the assassin's shirt, but Ken was   
prepared. He phased through his own top, and following that the door,   
going out into the House proper.   
  
"That's a nice look, Kenken," Ken froze, turned slowly, then screamed,   
taking off at a dead run. Schuldich pouted, then bounced off after the   
younger male, not unlike Pepe le Pew.  
  
---  
  
Ranma was not in his room.  
  
Aya scowled, stalking down the hall. He'd wanted to talk to the   
gender-bending martial artist without... _his_ presence. The   
katana-wielding assassin came to a halt outside a certain door laden   
with padlocks and other such outside locks. When he'd gone to sleep   
last night, all of them were locked.  
  
None of them remained locked through the night.  
  
He pushed the door open on a scene oh-so-sweet, he had to double-check   
that it was Farfello in there. Both "pet" and "master" were curled up   
on the bed, Jei on his back, Ranma sprawled over the Sociopath's   
stomach.  
  
Farfello had buried one hand in his Kitty's hair, at the nape of his   
neck, his other arm was wrapped around the martial artist's middle.   
Ranma had tangled their legs together, and had his face buried in Jei's   
neck. Ranma's own arms were wound around his master's waist.  
  
Aya was wondering why there wasn't any blood.  
  
Shaking his head, the redheaded assassin entered the room, striding   
over to the beside. Ranma shifted, but did not awaken-- Fujimiya was   
listed as a "friend" to his instincts. Farfello, on the other hand,   
slit his eye open.   
  
The sociopath glared at the interloper. He had a distinct hatred for   
Abyssian. He _knew_ Aya liked his Kitty, and he had attacked the man on   
several occasions. The only reason Fujimiya was still kicking was   
because Kitty always interfered.  
  
And the only person Jei had never even _once_ contemplated killing was   
his Kitty.  
  
So Jei merely glared at Aya, perfectly comfortable with his pet   
sprawled on top of him.  
  
"I want to talk to Ranma."  
  
"To bad," Farfello growled, tightening his grip, "he's sleeping."  
  
Aya's own glare was deadly, his eyes narrowed dangerously. Ranma could   
sleep through anything-- neither worried about awakening him by simply   
speaking. So the Fujimiya assassin snapped back, "It's not like he   
hasn't been woken up at this time, before."  
  
"He was torturing people until very late," Jei's tone was both   
irritatingly smug, and shining with pride. He _liked_ the fact that   
Ranma had come home drenched in blood. It was such a pretty picture.   
Trails of the liquid life force soaking his skin, smeared across lips,   
teeth, and tongue. It was absolutely everywhere-- his female side's   
white gloves would need to be replaced-- hell the whole _uniform_   
needed to be replaced.  
  
Aya growled low in his throat, "When Ranma wakes up, tell him I want to   
talk to him," and left the room.  
  
He knew _damn_ well and good that the moment the chance arrived,   
Farfello would kill hm. He also didn't really care. If he died, he   
died-- but he'd go down fighting. A Fujimiya never gave up, until they   
were dead.  
  
---  
  
Xian Phu watched in awe as Nabiki made a simple motion with one hand,   
and the doors swung open. He mother had never been this skilled with   
the dark power-- Nabiki must be the strongest Sorceress in history!  
  
The lavender haired woman smirked, and she, Jhusenkyou cursed and mute,   
was this great Sorceress' advisor. This was so bloody awesome! Note to   
self, stop reading those English manga...  
  
The two women, plus Omi entered Tao Pei's shop early that morning, the   
brunette's next idle gesture closing the door behind them.   
  
"What can I do for y-- Xian!?"  
  
Tao Pei was a beautiful woman. Lush lavender hair, a shade or two   
darker than her daughter's, fell to mid-back in wave-like tresses. Soft   
emerald eyes behind a pair of gold-rimmed reading glasses. She wore a   
simple black dress, decorated with gold trim, and runes embroidered in   
silver thread. She was far from the impossible-model-build of her   
daughter, but she held an air of statuesque beauty.  
  
She was also shocked out of her mind, never believing that she'd ever   
see her daughter again. The younger of the two ex-amazons smiled at her   
mother and waved hello.  
  
Nabiki crossed her arms, "Shampoo's mute, Tao Pei, she can't say   
anything."  
  
The older lavender haired one nodded a bit sadly, "Khu Lon sent word   
that she had been cast out, though she never stated why."  
  
"And it's unlikely she ever will," Bombay interjected, "She's been dead   
for several months now."  
  
"So I'd heard," Tao Pei looked solemn, "and although i was cast out of   
the tribe, she _was_ my grandmother."  
  
Xian Phu nodded, equally as solemn, although she was still angered by   
her great-grandmother's betrayal. To be cast out, all because she could   
no longer speak...  
  
Nabiki waved aside the conversation, commanding attention be brought to   
herself, so she could jump to the reason why they'd come to Tao Pei's   
shop in the first place, "We need your help, Sorceress."  
  
Tao Pei shot Xian a dark look, and the girl shrugged with a weak,   
wobbly smile. Sighing, the woman returned her attention to her   
daughter's companions, "What do you need my help in?"  
  
Nabiki lifted her other hand-- the one that she not been used in her   
minor castings. In doing so, she also lifted Omi's hand, as they'd knit   
their fingers together as they had walked to the shop.  
  
"The Knighting Ceremony."  
  
---  
  
End Chapter  
  
Ah, I welcome you, oh evil vibes, come to me and let me keep my readers   
wondering...  
  
I do have a reason behind Nabiki's quest for power. Hmm, maybe if you   
understand the whole Sorceress/Knight thing you might be able to see   
where I'm headed with this bit. However, we won't get that far for   
quite awhile. It's actually planned to be detailed in... well, that   
would be telling, now wouldn't it. *Iori-like laughter*  
  
And once again, we must wonder if Li Xiang's had a bit to much KOF. 


	8. Dreaming

Bleh, I forgot to put the author's notes on the version sent to Lady   
Cosmos. Oh well. Doesn't really matter, I guess. Not many people are   
emailing me anymore. I'm so sad...  
  
Or not. In anycase, I've proclaimed myself the pre-reader for   
Firehedgehog. Well, I did correct a few spelling mistakes in To Be A   
Pegasus (chapter three), which, if you like Yu-Gi-Oh & yaoi, you   
should probably check out. It's not yaoi yet, but hey... it's gunna   
get there. *smiles evilly* And I know who the couples are going to   
be. Mwahahahahahaha!!  
  
Uh, right...  
  
Yes, Farfie and Ranma make a cute couple, don't they? Heh, they make   
an even cuter couple in chapter nine... whoops, didn't mean to say   
that. *walks away whistling cheerfully*  
  
  
True Identity  
Chapter Seven - Dreaming  
Li Xiang  
  
  
  
The sound of ceramics breaking echoed loudly, as the tea cup Nyu Tao   
Pei had been drinking from shattered across the floor. The lavender   
haired sorceress snapped her jaw shut after a moment of shocked   
silence.   
  
"The... Knighting Ceremony?!"  
  
"Yes," Nabiki smiled, "Shampoo, here, has been helping me learn the   
dark magicks, but to go further, I must have a knight."  
  
"I take it..." Tao Pei still looked shaken, "That you have your Knight   
choosen and breifed on what to expect?"  
  
"I've been told," Omi confirmed, and Tao Pei nodded hesitantly. She'd   
only ever performed the Ceremony once, and that was two years before   
Xian Phu had been born. Even then, she'd performed it on herself, and   
accidentally corrupted the spell. It was, afterall, meant to be cast by   
a sorceress onto an apprentice who had gained sufficent power.  
  
The long-tressed sorceress stood abruptly, ignoring the glass shards on   
the floor, "Very well. Follow me."  
  
She could still cast the spell on these children, though. The pulse and   
ebb of Tendou Nabiki's magic was almost over powering.  
  
---  
  
"...And best friends become strangers.  
Damn."  
  
The music faded out into the hoots and cheers of the gathered fans. Nyu   
Xue Shi grinned and waved to said fans, before stepping off the stage.  
  
Oz, Nobuyuki and Fei Li followed a moment later, wiping sweat off their   
brows from the heat under the stage lights. Nobuyuki stretched, popping   
his back, and sighing with bliss.  
  
After swallowing several gallons of water, Xue Shi turned to her   
bandmate, "You really need a chiropractor, Nobuyuki."  
  
"Huh? Why?"  
  
"That's not healthy," the redheaded singer frowned, "You do that after   
every performance, and I bet you hurt like hell later, don't you?"  
  
Nobuyki declined to answer that question, knowing full well that, yes,   
his shoulders and neck got really sore a few hours after each "concert.   
Instead he grumbled, "My back's fine, Xue--" despite knowing that her   
real name was Ranma, Nobuyki and Fei Li still called her "Xue Shi"--   
"No problems at all!"  
  
"That's not what my ears tell me," Oz mumbled around the cookies he'd   
popped into his mouth. Nobuyuki blinked, confused for a moment until   
compreshension dawned. The band had been told eons ago about Oz's   
"condition" when he'd first been convinced into moving into their small   
apartment. That was prior to Xue Shi's replacement of their original   
singer.  
  
Oz had probably heard him grumbling after the performances.  
  
"Oh all right," the drummer grumbled, glaring first at the cat, then at   
the wolf, "I'll get an appointment with a chiropractor."  
  
"Here," Xue Shi handed voer a business card, "this guy's pretty good--   
you should go see Tofuu-sensai."  
  
"Xue, this is in Kansai."  
  
"So?"  
  
---  
  
He stood in the shadows, silently waiting for the perfect moment to   
strike. This time his target would not escape. There was no way out...  
  
... the target entered, and the assassin pounced.   
  
"Jei-sama!" Ranma had suddenly found himself in one of Farfello's   
Squeeze-them-till-they-die bear hugs. Ranma, having been beaten by   
Aklane, had various landing points of concrete, asphault, and water   
from said beatins, and having been punched by Ryouga a few times,   
didn't even feel the force behind the rib-shattering strength of the   
hug. Jei let the hug go after a moment, and the dark haired teenager   
smirked at his pale haired master.  
  
"Glad your back," Jei half mumbled, still having his arms loosely   
around his Kitty, and having decided to nip at Ranma's neck.  
  
A throat cleared behind them, and Ranma turned his head to find Fei Li   
wiggling his fingers in a version of hello. Ranma shifted just enough   
to get out of the doorway-- and therefore, taking Jei with him--   
letting the chinese youth and the rest of Xue Shi's bandmates past,   
while Jei ignored everything but lapping up the blood from the fairly   
deep wound on Ranma's shoulder.  
  
As he passed them, Nobuyuki made a face, "Couldn't you do that   
somewhere else? Or at least in female form?"  
  
Obviously, Nobuyuki wasn't all that fond of public displays of   
homosexual sadomasochistic love. Actually, Nobuyuki hated all forms of   
public affection. He hadn't gotten any in nearly two years.  
  
Xue Shi wouldn't let groupies backstage, and no one really recognised   
him "out of costume". Sometimes, being part of a jrock idol group   
sucked.  
  
Jei growled low in his throat at that comment. He really, _Really_   
wanted to kill Nobuyuki right them. Fortunately, he decided gropping   
Ranma would be more fun and ignored the idiot.  
  
---  
  
Naru shivered as she stared at the black crystal... thing hanging in   
the sky. She had the sinking sensation that _that_ thing, had something   
to do with Usagi-chan.  
  
For some reason, everytime something went wrong, Usagi was in the thick   
of it. Considering that a year ago she would have run in the opposite   
direc... hey, wasn't that Usagi?  
  
The brownish-red haired fourteen year old ran forwards, "Usagi-chan!   
Usagi-chan!"  
  
"Naru-chan?"  
  
It was indeed Tsukino Usagi. Naru came to a halt in fornt of her blonde   
friend, "Usagi-chan, are you okay?"  
  
"I'm fine," she hardly looked "fine", however. Naru could see the bags   
under Usagi's baby-blue eyes, and her friend seemed to sag under some   
inifinite sadness. But the redhead refrained from questioning her   
friend.  
  
Naru trusted Usagi to tell her when she would.  
  
So Naru merely set her hand on Usagi's shoulder, "Be careful, my   
friend."  
  
And Usagi smiled, and allt he tiredness and the sadness faded. Naru's   
expression was stillt roubled, although she let Usagi hug her, then run   
off.  
  
Naru still didn't know what was going on, or why there was a crystal   
spaceship in the sky, but she knew everything would be alright, with   
Usagi, and the world.  
  
If not with their swiftly fading friendship.  
  
---  
  
End Chapter 


	9. Taken

Jesus, I meant to send this out to my prereader, but I never got that far.   
Far to busy a week. Once I send this off to Cosmos and FF.net, I've got to   
finish the reviews for Pera-Fishy.  
  
Oh, yeah... _Krypt_, I put up the chapters once a week, even if I have   
written oh... three chapters ahead. I do this so that if I have a   
way-to-busy week, I can actually give a good chapter. Like this week.   
*grins* And the chapters were getting shorter, because I hadn't had any   
chapters written a few weeks ahead. No worries, though, the chapters are   
getting longer each time I write them.  
  
Just to remind ya'll at FF.net, this goes up Saturday mornin's.   
  
And it seems strange to me... Ranma didn't review last chapter. You have a   
busy week or something?  
  
  
True Identity  
Chapter Eight- Taken  
Li Xiang  
  
  
  
Rache muttered something about memories that just wouldn't _die_ already,   
and joined Ranma in the misery of trailing along after the Inner Senshi   
while shopping. Now, normally, Rache was all for shopping trips, but this...  
  
All the Inner Senshi were interested in was a bunch of too cute kiddie-type   
clothing that only a pink-wearing preppie could ever possibly like in the   
slightest, and ogling hot guys.  
  
Rache was, discounting Ranma-onna-- since Ranma was normally male-- the only   
female in a household of hot guys. What did she care about guys who were all   
talk and no do? Besides, it wasn't like she'd even bother to try to catch a   
date with any of these boys.  
  
She liked Yohji, after all.  
  
Which was another thing... if Usagi and Mamoru were as deeply in love as   
they proclaimed to be, then they wouldn't even bother checking out other   
people. Who were they trying to fool? Destined lovers indeed.  
  
"So... Sushi--" Minako started, only to be cut off when Ranma-onna growled.   
The blonde uttered a startled, "Huh?"  
  
"Call me 'Sushi' again, and I will rip your spine out through your mouth."  
  
"She hates it when her name is mispronounced," Rache informed them, "Her   
name is Xue Shi."  
  
"Oh, sorry, Xue Shi," Minako didn't really _look_ sorry, just kind of   
vacant-- at least to someone no where near Ranma's skill level, like, say   
Rache. He, or "she" at the moment, knew a soldier when she saw one. Minako   
was most definitely a warrior, although one trying to fit in and be a   
teenager after she'd long since given up that life.   
  
Ranma frowned to herself. She knew-- like everyone else on the team-- that   
Minako had once been Sailor V. A solo fighter. No one understood why V had   
become Venus, and drop out of the spotlight seeing as how much Venus seemed   
to like it, only that she had done so.   
  
"Xue Shi?" Ranma came out of her thoughts as one of her names was called.   
Minako was looking at her again, "How old are you?"  
  
"Sixteen," she muttered, "Almost seventeen."  
  
"Really?" Makoto jumped in, "You seem much older."  
  
"Somethings will do that to a person."  
  
The Inner Senshi plus Xue Shi and Rache whirled around. The senshi were   
jumpy, worried that one of "Amun-Ra's" men had found them-- after all, if   
Xue Shi had once been one of them, it was likely they knew her human   
identity as well-- but the two Pseudo-Senshi relaxed almost instantly. Ranma   
had forgotten how fast he could be.  
  
"Hey Schuldich."  
  
"Bruder! What are you doing here?"  
  
The flame haired assassin smirked, and waved gallantly to the area Rache and   
Ranma hadn't even deigned to notice. It was a flower shop-- hardly the   
Koneko no Sumi Ie-- with several beautiful women tending to the plants.   
Schuldich grinned wickedly.  
  
Now, the senshi figured that Schuldich was going to hit on the women and   
giggled to themselves--- they knew the ladies within, and not one of them   
took well to being hit on; at least by men.  
  
Ranma and Rache, however, could see the truth plain as day in Schuldich's   
face. The jade-eyed man was still trying to woo Ken, and therefore Schuldich   
was buying him one of the flowers-and-teddy bear specials-- not for the   
flowers, for obvious reasons, but for the stuffed bear that came with them.   
  
Via telepathy, Ranma wondered, /Would you mind saving the flowers? Jei-sama   
would probably like ripping them apart./  
  
/That's what I was thinking, Bishoujo./  
  
"Good luck on your quest, Schuldich," Ranma grinned wickedly, "You'll need   
it."  
  
"I'm sure you'll get what you want," Rache snickered, "Eventually."  
  
"You two have _such_ faith in me," he retorted with an easy-going grin,   
"Though your friends look about to burst with questions. About magnificently   
handsome me, of course."  
  
"Aw, shut y'er trap,' Xue Shi muttered shoving him away. Under her breath,   
she mumbled, "How much longer is this going to take?"  
  
"It should work..." Rache grumbled back, then grinned as there was the sound   
of screams down the block.   
  
The inner senshi went running, wondering what was going on. Xue Shi and   
Rache on the other hand went up. Schuldich had snagged his sister to boost   
her up to the roof where the two striped out of their fairly baggy garments   
to reveal their Sailor fuku. Xue Shi, now Apollo, withdrew her "tiara",   
boots and gloves-- as well as Rache, Aa Charon's own-- from the subspace   
created by the Hidden Weapon's technique. They were ready in moments.  
  
A few blocks away stood Yohji decked out in his Horus outfit, laughing   
gleefully. He'd never realized that destroying something was quite the   
stress-reliever[1], as he directed his newest creature in destroying the   
various vehicles laying abandoned in the road.  
  
He knew he'd never go into full-scale city-wide mass destruction, but making   
a few cars-- without their drivers, of course; he was an assassin, not a   
psychopathic murderer-- into pulped boxes of metal, was fun.  
  
"How dare you destroy public property!"  
  
And there they were. The Sailorsenshi to save the day., Horus ignored the   
Inner Senshi, silhouetted as they were against the sun. As Sailormoon's   
speech dragged on for several minutes, Horus ignored her and went over the   
plan in his head.   
  
He was glad Nagi was hiding somewhere and watching the battle, when he felt   
himself move without his own actions. His thoughts had gone on longer than   
planned, and Mars had fired upon him. And while he knew from the flaming   
debris who had thrown it, Horus played the fool. It was in the job   
description, after all.   
  
"Who _dares_?!" he roared, glaring at the senshi. Silently, he gave his   
thanks to Schuldich as the telepath point out that Charon and Apollo had   
arrived. As it had been planned, he ignored the two redheads, as though he   
hadn't noticed either of them.  
  
"Aren't such hot stuff without your partner around are you?" Mars taunted   
with a boasting tone, eyes shining with a fierce glee, as she posed. Charon   
and Apollo only just _barely_ concealed a groan as Mars gloated.  
  
Horus scowled, silently wishing he had his own magical powers to fling about   
haphazardly. But he didn't, so he'd just have to settle for the old   
fashioned way.  
  
He directed his latest little beastie after them.  
  
"Punished Eagle! Attack!"  
  
It was a huge bluish green eagle, with wickedly curved claws, and a razor   
sharp beak. Blood red eyes peered out from beneath a few of the paler green   
feathers that decorated it's face, while a red tattoo if some strange shape   
was seemingly tattooed to the bird-beast's feathers. It screeched as it dove   
out of the sky, swooping at the senshi.  
  
Apollo shook her head in disgust as the Inner Senshi ran about screaming   
their collective heads off. Charon wondered how such girls could be seen as   
the saviors of the world time and time again.  
  
Of course, all good bad guys have a back-up plan. One that was made up for   
the "just in case our Unbeatable Youma is destroyed" instances-- which Yohji   
and the rest of the Weiss/Schwartz-gumi pretty much expected. They were   
setting a rather ingenious plan in motion, after all. But in any case,   
neither Rache nor Ranma knew about this back-up plan.  
  
Surprisingly, it had been Aya and Farfello who had cooked up this plan,   
having "discussed" it during one of their more violent fights, before Kitty   
had shown up to break them up. Aya had clued Yohji in on it just before he   
had made the attack, which explained why it was a bit later.  
  
Horus crept closer to the two Pseudo-Senshi. Charon gave him an odd look,   
but could do no more as she got a mental shove from her brother. She had to   
help the senshi take out Punished Eagle.  
  
With their attention on the fight, Schuldich reached into Ranma's mind.   
While the feral mind set of the boy-turned-girl was usually forwards, Xue   
Shi had to shove it back in order to get along with the Inner Senshi. So her   
mind was purely human at the moment, and therefore easy to navigate.  
  
She passed out just as Punished Eagle was destroyed by the combined might of   
Charon's long-handled scimitar, Venus' Wink Sword, and Moon's Moon Tier.   
Horus caught her falling form even as the other senshi turned to face him.  
  
"Apollo!"  
  
Horus chuckled evilly-- he was surprising skilled at it-- "Looks like this   
is one fight she couldn't win. I knew I was better than she was!"  
  
He raised a hand as though to blast her out of existence with a point-blank   
energy blast; which since this was Kudou Yohji, was impossible since he   
couldn't throw force blasts... however, a low growl cut his moment, and he   
froze, "Shit! Ptah..."  
  
The pale haired assassin dressed in white slipped out of the shadows,   
snatching the girl from the other man's arms, "Touch my Kitty again, and I   
will enjoy spilling your blood."  
  
"You would any ways," Horus muttered sourly, before vanishing-- supposedly   
to lick his "wounds". Ptah turned, still carrying Apollo's inert form, and   
started for the shadows.  
  
"Oh no you don't!" Moon half screeched, whipping out her weapon once again,   
"Starlight Honeymoon Therapy Kiss!"  
  
Ptah _jumped_ over the blast, turned his single golden eye to her and   
laughed his particular insane cackle, "Don't announce your attack," and then   
he was gone, melting into the shadows in a way no one wearing that much   
white should be capable of doing.  
  
The Senshi turned to run away and talk, but found Charon staring blankly   
into space.  
  
"Charon-chan?" Moon wondered, stepping closer. Emerald eyes snapped to her   
own blue.  
  
"They have her," Charon whispered, "They-- _He_-- has her. Oh great gods...   
Bastet is returning!"  
  
---  
  
End Chapter  
  
Not as good as some of my other chapters, in this, False, Sands, Legend or   
Shiva, but I liked it. And it's setting things up for a couple chapters down   
the line. I just couldn't keep Ranma on the "good" side. It just seemed   
_wrong_ for this time line.  
  
---  
  
[1] Most especially when what you're destroying is a computer. And you've   
got baseball bats and golf clubs. And yes, I really have beaten a computer   
to "death" like that. It was a so much fun that I did the same to three   
telephones and a television, too. 


	10. Spells

Once again I find myself typing up the current chapter late Friday   
night. Ugh, I need to stop doing that. And I've got to send these out   
to my prereaders.  
  
Oh, in other news, I'm co-writing a fanfic with a friend of mine. It's   
called Serpent's Kiss. It's been taking up a lot of my time, and I've   
still got a chapter to do with Shiva, a chapter with Egyptian Sands and   
another chapter of Dejitaru Legend.  
  
Thankfully, the only ones on a schedule are this fic and Serpent's   
Kiss.   
  
Christ, my fingers are numb. Stupid snow. Now I can't lock myself in my   
mind and say 'Winter's not here yet. I'm still safe from freezing.'   
Pfft, I should have realised that when I had to put the other two   
comforters on my bed, taking the count up to seven...  
  
  
  
True Identity  
Chapter Nine: Spells  
Li Xiang  
  
  
When Ranma awoke, he was _not_ in a good mood.  
  
That was probably because he'd been knocked out via telepathy, but it   
could also be because of _how_ he woke up.   
  
The restraints generally used to hold Jei in place when he had one of   
his more dangerous fits were being used to hold him in place. Ranma   
hung a couple inches in the air above Farfello's bed.   
  
From wrist to elbow, and ankle to knee, were the leather restraints,   
and over each was a shiny, steel shackle. Aside from that, all Ranma   
was wearing were his normal blue boxers.  
  
At least they'd thought to put a pillow beneath his head, so he   
wouldn't get any cramps. He was just wondering what was going on.  
  
The sound of a door slamming echoed through the House and Ranma   
blinked. Automatically, he let the cat come forwards, and enhance his   
senses. To his utter shock, Ranma didn't hear anyone. He was all alone   
in the House.  
  
Excluding maybe the main computer room-- which was heavily soundproofed   
to prevent outside distractions (such as Schuldich's chasings of Ken)   
for anyone within the room. Growling, Ranma flexed his muscles in an   
attempt to break the shackles, but he failed.  
  
The gender-bender sighed heavily as resolved himself to staying   
strapped up. There was nothing he could do to get out.  
  
---  
  
Yohji blinked as both Rache and Nagi entered the Koneko, sulking.   
Behind them, Ken and Oz walked in, Ken chuckling and Oz looking like he   
wanted to talk to Ken about something private. If Yohji didn't know   
what Oz was strictly heterosexual, he would have thought Schuldich   
might have a bit of a competition problem.   
  
"Hey Yohji," Ken greeted with a wave, "Think you could spare an apron   
or two for Naru and Nagi?"  
  
"What's up?" the long-haired male pondered, "I didn't think _these_ two   
would ever want to work in a flower shop."  
  
Rache turned to her wanna-be-boyfriend with a pout, "Irish kicked us   
out of the House so he could 'play' with Ranma."  
  
"Male or female?"  
  
"Don't know, don't care," Nagi returned, with a sour look, "When those   
two get together, I'd rather be on the other side of the universe." Ken   
snickered.  
  
Oz poked Ken in the ribs, "Oh, like _you_ like being anywhere _near_   
Schuldich when he's horny."  
  
Siberian shot the wolf a dirty look, and said wolf grinned back at him.   
It was only a matter of time until he got Ken alone-- then he could   
finally ask all those questions he'd been wondering.  
  
Like why he'd changed his name.  
  
---  
  
On the otherwise of the district, Schuldich and Aya found themselves   
trailing after Fei Li and Nobuyuki as the pair went into every music   
store in the area, just to prove to themselves that "Noir et Blanc" was   
not some crazy shared dream.  
  
Those who bought the CD wondered about the two men that would trail   
them from where it was, to the cashier, and where they procured various   
alcoholic beverages from nowhere while cheering inanely.   
  
Schuldich hid in the foreign language section, and Aya skulked around   
the classicals. Neither really wanted to be connected to the two   
weirdos.   
  
---  
  
Nabiki tugged at her ceremonial robes, and wondered if a black silk   
dress, with ebon feathers for the collar really counted as a "robe".   
Unlike her, both Omi and Xian Phu liked their outfits. As Xian Phu was   
the one instruction Nabiki in the use of her powers, Tao Pei had   
decided to included her daughter in the ceremony. It was not that   
unheard of, it was just that normally, the instructor was the one   
performing the Knighting Ceremony.  
  
Xian Phu would be included not as a second Knight, but more as a   
temporary store of excess power. Her Sorceress would, at regular   
intervals, "deposit" magic within Xian Phu's body, so that whenever   
that power was needed, Nabiki could withdraw it.   
  
This also helped to event he flow of power. It would be easier on   
Nabiki as she could syphon power into Xian Phu and relax the strain on   
her own body.  
  
To ensure that Xian Phu wouldn't get burned out, Tao Pei modified the   
spell. Once Xian Phu reached a certain limit, she could not accept any   
more power until her body grew used to the magic.  
  
In that same vein, someone had changed the original spell many, many   
years earlier, to ensure one could not have all the power in the body   
removed in one shot. The body became dependant on the power after a   
certain amount of time, and to remove it as such would mean death to   
the storage person, generally entitled the Sorceress' Shield. He or she   
was much like a shield in that they were a barrier of protection.  
  
After all, a Sorceress who's power is still connected to her could not   
die.  
  
So the Knight and Shield were dressed in identical outfits. Long, floor   
length cloaks of white for Omi and violet for Xian Phu, that fell over   
a simple black dress on Xian Phu's part, and a pair of black jeans a   
black vest on Omi's. A blood red ribbon ran from Omi's left wrist to   
Nabiki's wrist, Xian Phu was connected by the right wrist.  
  
Omi's right and Xian Phu's left were connected by a white ribbon-- they   
would be connected to one another, but not as strong as the connection   
to Nabiki.  
  
In the center of their human triangle, was a bowl filled with water and   
burning incense. Tao Pei began the ritual by speaking in a soft, low,   
voice.  
  
"fithos... lusec... wecos... vinosec.."  
  
Her voice grew steadily louder, the ribbons around their wrists   
snapping taut, even as some inexplicable wind swirled up around them,   
snapping the ladies' hair. Nabiki's dress clung to her curves, the dark   
feathers brushing her chin. Every now and again, a feather would whip   
off.  
  
"Fithos. Lusec. Wecos. Vinosec.."  
  
It would swirl as though in a dust devil, dancing gaily within the   
confines of the ribbons. It would brush Omi, and Xian Phu before   
falling into the bowl.  
  
"Fithos! Lusec! Wecos! Vinosec!"  
  
Omi and Xian Phu's cloaks whirled up and around them, almost like   
wings.  
  
"Fithos!! Lusec!! Wecos!! Vinosec..!!"  
  
---  
  
The tea cup was set gently on the table, and Nodoka stared at Kojiro in   
surprise, "You must be joking."  
  
The pet-shop owner shook his head, with a rye laugh, "Not at all,   
No-chan."  
  
"Why would _they_ offer _you_ a job, Ro-chan?"   
  
The greying man shrugged, "They must have heard I had contact with the   
Lady Raven," she smiled slyly, "but I played quite the fool, my dear. I   
doubt Kritiker is really going to go after me again."  
  
"You never know," Nodoka mused, "But in any case, have you heard from   
the boys or Naru?"  
  
"Yohji came by a few days ago," the man tipped his head, "he said that   
they were taking part in some sort of cosplay thing. He was quite   
excited about it."  
  
"Ranma's not," said the mother of the boy, "He's quite upset that he   
and his daimyo are on opposite teams."  
  
Kojiro nodded in sympathy. Farfello and Kitty were rarely parted. He   
sipped his tea.  
  
"I wonder what those boys will do next."  
  
---  
  
Oracle frowned as he stepped into the Ucchan's. With the proprietors of   
the Nekohanton dead, the Okinomiyaki ship was normally quite busy.  
  
However, it was midday and therefor only a few customers, Kuonji Ukyou   
and Konatsu. So Crawford seated himself at the counter and Kuonji moved   
to stand before him.  
  
"Hello, and welcome to the Ucchan's. What can I get you?"  
  
"I'd like to speak to you about Saotome Ranma."  
  
Her fingers clenched around her battle spatula's handle, "Ranchan is   
going to marry me! Not your sister or daughter or whoever!"  
  
"That's not what I'm here for," Crawford stated quite calmly. He had to   
weather this, else they'd never get rid of this particular problem. She   
would come back to haunt them at a most inopportune time.  
  
He hadn't need the vision to tell him _that_.  
  
"Oh," she blushed, "Sorry... what did you want to talk about, Sugar?"  
  
"Are you aware," Crawford began, "Of Ranma's part in the deaths of Muu   
Tzu and Khu Lon?"  
  
"Hmph," Ukyou crossed her arms, "Ranma would never take another   
person's life!"  
  
"Saffron."  
  
She stiffened, "How did you...?"  
  
"I've been living with him for the past few months," Crawford stated   
cooly, "And you know Ranma very little if you think that way."  
  
"My Ranchan would never kill!" she spat angrily, "Get out of her, now!"  
  
"Of course," Crawford stood and began to leave, "Oh, and Kuonji-san?"  
  
"What?" she growled, clenching the handle of her big-ass battle   
spatula, again.  
  
"If you _do_ marry Ranma, you should remember his loyalty is to his   
master first, and mate second."  
  
---  
  
Ranma awoke for a second time, surprised that he'd fallen asleep. With   
a yawn, the blue-eyed martial artist blinked the sleep form his eyes   
and found himself looking up into an amber eye and an eyepatch.  
  
"Morning Kitty," Jei snickered, having decided to use his pet as a bed.  
  
"Jei-sama," Ranma tugged at his restraints, "Why am I tied up like   
this?"  
  
"We're going to teach my Kitty a lesson," the Irishman grinned at the   
martial artist, nuzzling his neck, before biting him-- hard.  
  
Ranma jumped at the bite, "Wha... what for?" Not that he was   
complaining. Pain was nice, familiar, a companion through-out his life.   
It was normal.  
  
Jei's eye glittered, "Have to be taught how to be Bastet, don't you?"  
  
"Say whaaaa?" Obviously, Ranma had not yet made the connection between   
passing out and waking up restrained. Of course, he wasn't about to   
make that connection for a little while, as Farfello pulled out his   
favorite knife, and went to work making shallow cuts in Ranma's skin.  
  
Oh yes, the sociopath thought with a sick grin, this would be fun.  
  
---  
  
End Chapter  
  
No, I'm not going to explain what Farfie did.   
  
Sorry about the lack of SchuuKen, _Krypt_. I'll get back to it soon (I   
hope. *crosses her fingers*) 


	11. Punishment

Well, sent this off to my prereader (for once...) and never got a   
response back. Maybe it got lost somewhere in cyber space?   
  
Joy-to-the-world~! Do-do-do-do~!  
  
Okay, I'm overly cheerful for two reasons. I can buy the PS2 I've been   
listening to my brother whine about for months on end now, AND I can   
buy my domain name! Horray! I'm going to get a domain name! *dances*   
I've been trying to convince my parents to let me buy one for four and   
a half years, they finally gave in around March, but I didn't have   
enough money then, but I do now.  
  
That's the problem with not having a job, you live off your bonds, and   
the money your parents give you...  
  
  
  
True Identity  
Chapter Ten : Punishment  
Li Xiang  
  
  
  
When the rest of the residents of the House returned, the over   
powering stench of blood assaulted their noses.  
  
Xue Shi's band-- minus Oz-- and Rache looked ill, but they didn't   
panic. They'd learned months ago that just because every other scent   
was drowned out by blood didn't nessicarily mean someone had died. It   
just meant Ranma and Jei had been playing, again.  
  
"I thought Irish understood that we don't thrive off this, like he   
does," Rache muttered, and her brother laughed.  
  
"Schweister, if Farfello understands anything, its that killing hurts   
God, and Kitty's a masochist."  
  
"I'm not a masochist," chided a familiar female voice, "I'm a   
sadomasochist!"  
  
"You're messed in the head, you mean," came Omi's dry voice. There was   
a collective blink as the seventeen year old sauntered into the House.  
  
"Did you go on a shopping spree?" Ken wondered, eyeing Omi's new   
outfit. A white silk duster emblazoned with a blood red cross on the   
back didn't really seem like the younger teen's style. Then again,   
neither did the black jeans or black vest over a blue t-shirt.  
  
Ranma-onna gave a sniff of the air and smirked. Her nose may not be as   
good as Oz's but she could still catch a scent, "Someone's been   
messing around with Tendou."  
  
To the group's surprise, Omi failed to blush brightly. Sure, there was   
a bit of a pink stain over his cheeks, but the boy grinned and waved   
it off. Then he stuck his hands in his pockets and headed to his room.  
  
Ranma scratched the back of her head, "Hey Schuldich? Were you messing   
around in his head?"  
  
The flame-haired German shook his head, staring after Omi silently for   
a moment. Surprisingly, Ken felt something he'd rather not have, and   
decided Schuldich was twisting his thoughts again. Especially when he   
heard a mental crow, /Awww, you _do_ care!/  
  
Shaking off Omi's strange behavior, Rache turned to Ranma-onna, "Did   
you learn about Bastet, then?"  
  
"You _knew_ about this?!"  
  
"No," Aya cut in, as the group began to disperse to go about their   
normal business, "We told her after the 'fight'."  
  
Ranma shot him a pout, and crossed her arms, "You could have told me   
you were planning this."  
  
"Not as much fun," Yohji snickered as he strode away. Rache grinned a   
bit then bounded after him.   
  
Ranma had a very sadistic smile in place when she turned back to look   
at Aya. The male redhead froze, blinking owlishly at her for a moment.   
He would have turned tail and run, had it not been totally out of   
character for him.  
  
He started to edge away, however, wondering just what was going   
through his not-so-sane sorta-best friend's mind. That smile was _not_   
healthy. For him.  
  
When Ranma stepped forwards, she said "screw it!" to his pride, and   
bolted. He didn't get far-- Ranma _was_ faster than he was, after all.  
  
---  
  
Rei shuddered to herself as her mind conjured up fairly accurate   
images of what Charon had explained Bastet had been like.  
  
A sadistical girl, coming at the beck and call of the psychopathic   
Ptah, who reveled in the taste of blood. She enjoyed ripping men and   
women apart to appease her master.  
  
To the priestess, it was sickening, but oh-so-terribly possible.   
Apollo's aura hadn't been a martial artist's, like she had proclaimed   
she was, nor the magically enhanced of the Sailor Senshi, or even the   
strangly 'dead' aura Charon gave off. Xue Shi's aura spoke of blood.  
  
The life essences of others was in her, a brush of insanity, and   
repentless killing, and on top of it all... Chaos. Rei shivered, truly   
shivered with a deep seeded fear, at that knowledge. That Chaos, a   
mighty and powerful foe, had gotten her claws into another Senshi,   
like she had Galaxia.  
  
It was terrifying-- and what was more, Apollo, or rather Bastet, knew   
who they were. The Senshi of Mars could only hope that, like Tuxedo   
Kamen, any knowledge of who they really were, would be erased, in   
order to convert the Sun Senshi to evil.  
  
She rolled over in her bed, clutching at the only stuffed animal in   
her room, and tried to sleep. It would be a fruitless effort.  
  
---  
  
Crawford rubbed his forehead irritably. While he was used to the   
visions coming out of nowhere, blatantly being sent the equivalent of   
a mental email from whoever sent him vision was _not_ a normal thing.   
Nor was it a _painless_ thing, he noted, as he entered the House's   
kitchen in search of aspirin.  
  
Once he'd found some and drowned them in water, he reflected on the   
message. It wasn't a "message", per say, but more like the knowledge   
had been implanted into his mind.  
  
"Do this", "Do that"-- it disgusted him that whoever was up there   
pulling the strings was trying to direct him. He'd had enough of that   
while working for Estet. He'd been ignoring the images being sent of   
mass-destruction if he continued with this mission.  
  
He'd seen Ranma in action, though. Anything those Senshi could do, the   
marital artist could duplicate. Ken, Schuldich, Nagi and himself had   
their own "special powers"-- they could take care of themselves and   
the world if need be.  
  
One of Ranma's favorite lines ran through his head, "Life sucks, the   
world sucks, but where would all the fun be if we're all dead?"  
  
Usually the sociopathic-cat was referring to that if everyone on the   
planet died, there was no one left to "play" with-- and Ranma's   
definition of "play" generally involved a fight.  
  
So Crawford was all for ignoring the "message"-- until he realized   
something with a start. There had been a warning added to this one.   
Images of what had happened to the last allies who had tired to go   
against Princess Serenity.  
  
The American began to smirk as a plan began to form in his mind. This   
would be most... interesting.  
  
---  
  
Aya scowled into the bathroom mirror, dabbing a cloth at the cut that   
crossed his forehead. Stupid, no good...  
  
He was covered in scratches and bruises, much like "Bastet" had been.   
The difference between them had been that the "cat-goddess'" wounds   
had begun to heal shortly after he and the rest of the House's   
occupants had returned home.   
  
Ranma's punishment for not telling her about her then-to-be imminent   
transition from Apollo to Bastet had been... painful, to say the   
least. Jei had been cut up just as much, but the pale-haired assassin   
had enjoyed it. Aya had not.  
  
Being tied up and left so Farfello could trace his veins with a knife   
had not been fun. At least Kitty had stayed there so the man couldn't   
kill him. The gender-bender hadn't allowed Farfello to cut up his face   
though-- she knew Aya had to work the next day.  
  
Of course, that hadn't prevented Jei from "slipping" and slicing the   
redhead across the forehead. Ranma had stopped the "punishment" at   
that point. Aya never wanted to see Farfello's creepy pout again.   
Ever.  
  
At least he'd stopped bleeding, and that his bands covered the wound.   
He had enough scars over the rest of his body, he didn't need one on   
his face. They were generally considered a bad omen among Japanese and   
if was proved with Yohji.  
  
The scar that ran almost through his eye had been impossible to hide.   
The majority of his "worshipers" had taken off, or changed "idols"   
when they'd seen it.  
  
So far, aside from Rache, there was maybe four women who still   
followed him around.  
  
As much as Aya despised the "fangirls" who came to the Koneko no Sumi   
Ie, some of them often _bought_ things. Which meant business. They   
couldn't loose more customers over some stupid injury.  
  
Besides, if he ended up with a facial scar, people might start to   
wonder. One florist with a facial scar could be passed up as some   
accident. Two was pretty damn close to impossible-- if they were   
_just_ florists.  
  
He grumbled again, wringing water and blood out of the cloth. Giving   
that up as a lost cause, he grabbed another cloth, and began cleaning   
up the _rest_ of his injuries.  
  
Oh yes, he was going to _kill_ his psychopathic friends. Kill them   
dead.  
  
---  
  
Rache crossed her arms and sighed with a pout. Yohji _glared_ at her,   
"No."  
  
"But Yohji~" she whined, putting an extra sparkle of tears into her   
eyes for effect. Inside, she was already congratulating herself on a   
job "well done".  
  
"I said 'No', and I _mean_ 'No'," he was starting to sweat as she   
pulled out the dreaded puppy-dog eyes. Must resist... puppy-dog...   
eyes...  
  
Rache's pout increased. Really, she thought, it would be funny. Why   
was he resisting? "Well, why not?"  
  
He crossed his arms, "I don't want to die."  
  
"Oh, c'mon, Yohji. Ranma won't kill you!"  
  
"Can you say the same about Farfello?"  
  
Rache paused and sighed, "I guess not. Farf can be... impulsive."  
  
"Try psychopathic," the long-haired man grumbled.  
  
"Add bloodthirsty, sadistic, and over possessive," Aya's voice floated   
to them. The pair turned as one, to see a shirtless Fujimiya walk past   
on his way to his room. It still unnerved _both_ of them the number of   
scars that littered his body.  
  
It was worse now, as he had bandages stained red with blood binding   
his torso and upper arms. Aya didn't seem all that concerned with   
them, though.  
  
"Jesus, Aya!" Yohji barked, "What happened to you?!"  
  
"Ranma."  
  
Rache winced, "Should have known he'd retaliate for being dragged into   
something without his own decision."  
  
Aya shrugged, then continued onwards. Yohji and Rache watched for a   
minute, before the assassin turned to his companion, "Anything else?"  
  
"Are you _sure_ you don't want to--?"  
  
"I'm not eager to get killed by pretending to be infatuated with   
'Bastet'. Thank-you-very-much."  
  
---  
  
End Chapter  
  
No, that last scene has no real relevence to the story... I just   
thought it was funny. ^-^V 


	12. Bastet

This is generally where I explain questions and whatnot from the reviews.  
  
Unfortunately, I have a habit of deleting the ff.net review emails, and tend   
to go over there to read the reviews again to find out what I'm supposed to   
respond to.  
  
But FF.net is down right now, so that's kinda hard to do.   
  
So you'll just have to deal with this fairly pointless babble...  
  
Oh! Yeah, I almost forgot. In the next two weeks or so, my server should be   
getting my payment and I'll finally have my domain name. I even have a   
layout designed for it already! *smiles*  
  
  
  
True Identity  
Chapter Eleven: Bastet  
  
  
  
For a week, "Amun-Ra" pulled random attacks.  
  
For a week, Charon fought with the Senshi.  
  
For a week, Bastet was "reprogrammed"  
  
And for a week, Crawford had locked himself up in the computer room,   
refusing to let anyone else enter. They all knew he was doing something   
important, and theories flew wild-- Crawford's mental shields were far to   
strong for Schuldich to break through.  
  
He finally came out as Ranma-onna stepped out of her own room, dressed as   
Bastet. It would be Bastet's first run, and it was Bastet's first time   
wearing the outfit. She hated it at first sight.  
  
A blood red bikini with black stripes, Apollo's thigh-high boots were now   
black with blood red laces-- courtesy of Omi-- and her elbow length gloves   
black silk with red piping. Red shoulder guards and a translucent black cape   
that fell to her ankles matched a piece of black translucent fabric sewn   
along the waist of the bikini bottom, like a skirt.   
  
Her collar, still roughly inscribed with "Kitty", had been cleaned and   
shined.  
  
"I hate this outfit," she grumbled, plucking at her bikini top.  
  
"Live with it," Crawford returned with a half-smile, "Where's Bombay?"  
  
"Tsukiyono is," Ranma paused to stretch her senses over the House, "in   
Nobuyuki's room."  
  
The glasses-wearing man nodded his thanks, and headed in that direction.   
Ranma-onna gave him an odd look, shrugged, and started for Aya's room.   
Osiris was to be the one sent with Bastet to "ensure" her loyalty.  
  
Bastet was anticipating bloodshed, licking her lips as her boots   
click-click-clicked on the former warehouse's floor.  
  
---  
  
A wicked laugh spilled over the park, as the Senshi finally defeated Horus'   
latest monster. They all shivered, but it was Charon who shrieked,   
"_Bastet_!"  
  
The martial artist turned Senshi turned villain released the full body   
defense cloth, melting out of nothing to appear in front of Charon herself.  
  
"Long time to see, I-chan," Bastet purred, placing her hands on either side   
of the girl's face, "You're not going to trick me again, you do understand   
that, don't you?"  
  
"You already know that I'm Charon," the redhead bit out, removing Bastet's   
hands from her person, "It's not like I could fake being one of _you_   
again."  
  
Bastet grinned, nodding, then lashed out with a sharp kick that sent the   
grey Senshi flying. Her laughter rang out again, as she watched to make sure   
Nagi caught her with his telekinesis. She had pulled the kick-- Rache was   
her friend, after all.  
  
"Don't play with the enemy, Bastet," Osiris' voice floated to them from a   
nearby tree. The red and black garbed female rolled her eyes, but backed off   
to Horus' side. She patted the black leather clad man on the shoulder.  
  
"Yeah, stop playing with the enemy, Horus."  
  
"Bitch," he snapped back, scowling darkly. She smirked devilishly at his   
oh-so-angry facade. He growled at her, turning and stalking away. To the   
Senshi he vanished mid-step.  
  
Bastet cracked her knuckles, grinning in a terrifying sadisticical gleeful   
way, "Now... I get to have some fun."  
  
"Hold it, Evil-doer!" Sailormoon proclaimed, bouncing to her feet from where   
she'd been kneeling beside an "unconscious" Charon. Once all the Senshi were   
looking away, the redheaded pseudo-Senshi gave her "enemy" the thumbs up.  
  
Bastet snorted haughtily, "What makes _me_ evil?"  
  
"You've aligned yourself with the evil of Amun-Ra!" Venus stood proudly with   
a fierce expression.   
  
"Amun-Ra was considered a god only a few short millennia ago," Bastet   
returned, waiting for her cue. Only a few more... bingo!  
  
Charon's thumbs up shifted to an 'Ok!' hand sign, and Bastet's wicked grin   
widened. In the middle of Mars' rant on how an aura of chaos, darkness or   
blood meant 'evil' and 'demonic', Bastet launched herself forwards with an   
axe kick ready to be executed.  
  
It cut down on Jupiter's collarbone, and no magical protection had been   
created to withstand ki-- at least, not for several _hundred_ _decades_   
after the fall of the Silver Kingdom. The Senshi magic had not been updated   
for modern times.  
  
So Jupiter's collarbone shattered under the force of the blow.  
  
And Bastet's expression turned to that of a sociopathic criminal about to   
take out her next victim, "You could have just said I'm evil because I'm a   
bloodthirsty murderer. I wouldn't have minded."  
  
Jupiter had given a quickly cut off cry of pain before launching herself at   
Bastet, wound and all. The brown haired Senshi's magic had dulled the pain,   
and settled for fixing her injuries as she attacked. Afraid for their   
friend, but unable to attack for fear of hitting Jupiter, the Inner Senshi   
could only watch.  
  
Moon and Mercury stayed behind with Charon as Jupiter and Bastet's "duel"   
moved away from them. Mars and Venus followed, but were interrupted once out   
of hearing and seeing range of the two remaining Senshi.  
  
Osiris attacked Venus with his katana, and she barely summoned the Wink   
Chain Sword, and got it into place to defend. The clash of metal on stone   
was surprisingly loud.  
  
Mars leapt forwards to help, but Horus snagged her in a web of wires. He   
grinning icily, "I'm going to get you back for the time you tried to roast   
me."  
  
---  
  
Back with Jupiter, the thunder Senshi found herself sprawled on the ground   
lacking the use of her legs, "What did you--"  
  
"Pressure points, Kino," Bastet interrupted with a wicked smirk, "This   
particular beauty was used on me by a friend of mine who lives out in Kansai   
now."  
  
"You-- you-- you remember that?!" When Tuxedo Kamen had been taken, all his   
memories had been suppressed. When Chibiusa had become Black Lady, _her_   
memories were all seen in a negative light; she had no friends. But   
Bastet...  
  
"We'll let you in on a little secret before you die, Kino Makoto," a   
strange, new voice came from the left. To her shock, a fifteen year old   
stepped from the shadows, followed by the redheaded form of Charon's older   
brother.  
  
"You..." she stared at the redheaded male, "You... betrayed your one   
sister...?"  
  
"Unlikely," the fifteen year old's expression stayed surprisingly neutral,   
"Schuldich is _highly_ overprotective of his sister."  
  
"Amun-Ra speaks the truth," Schuldich snickered, "And you're been duped."  
  
"Wha...?!"  
  
'Bastet' leaned forwards with a grin, "There is _no_ Sailorapollo. There is   
_no_ Sailorcharon. And now... there is _no_ Sailor_jupiter_."  
  
The stunned Senshi could only stare as Bastet raised a hand, "Happo Go   
Ensatsu revised: Spirit Obliteration!"  
  
Jupiter shrieked with pain-- it felt as thought lightning burned through her   
veins. Light was building around the two females. An eternal moment of pain   
precluded a split second of icy numbness. In that second, she heard a nasal   
German voice whisper through her mind.  
  
/Crystal Tokyo will never rise.../  
  
---  
  
When the light faded, Bastet stared at the ground with a frown, "Damn. I   
managed to convert all her ki into energy _I_ could use... but I _still_   
haven't figured out a way to _not_ vaporize the body at the same time."  
  
"It's probably for the best," Nagi crossed his arms, "They will believe they   
have a chance to retrieve her."  
  
Ranma looked confused, but Schuldich understood, "If they're hopeful that   
they can get Jupiter back, they're not hopeless. Hopeless people are   
reckless-- like you before you found Farfello, Bishoujo."  
  
"Or like Ryouga," Ranma reasoned, proving that yes, she had gotten it. The   
martial artist started back towards Aya and Yohji, "Will those other two be   
dead? Oh, and don't call me that."  
  
"It wasn't part of the plan," Schuldich mused, blatantly ignoring Ranma's   
warning, "but we _all_ know Abyssian, Bishoujo."  
  
The trio snickered amongst themselves, before coming onto the scene. Nagi   
and Schuldich fell back, but Ranma continued forwards. Mars was tangled in   
wires, and Venus was almost unconscious.   
  
"Osiris! Horus!" she caroled, "Objective... captured!" she smirked at their   
confused looks, "Amun-Ra demands our presence."  
  
"Another time then, Venus," Osiris faded into the background. Horus followed   
suit leaving Mars with, "Next time, we'll finish this."  
  
Bastet gave a cheerful wave to the girls before slipping under the   
Umi-Sen-Ken's invisibility technique once again, and slipping away.  
  
The two Senshi picked themselves up once they felt capable of moving. Barely   
dragging themselves forwards. When they got back to where the battle begun,   
they understood just what Bastet had meant.  
  
Jupiter was gone.  
  
---  
  
Nabiki was sprawled across her bed when Omi entered the room. Xian Phu   
looked up from the book she was reading. The lavender haired Shield had   
refused to stay with Tao Pei, feeling her place was with her Sorceress.  
  
Omi was tossing a small bag and catching it, before he dropped it beside his   
mistress, "Crawford had me get that and take out their guardian."  
  
"What is it?" Nabiki plucked up the soft velvet bag, untying the ribbon that   
bound it as Omi dropped himself onto her bed.  
  
"Spirit Stones," Omi shrugged, "Apparently there's a bunch of dead guys in   
them."  
  
"So why are you giving them to me?" she asked, pulling out the shards of   
kunzite, jadaeite, zoicite and nephrite, carefully inspecting them.  
  
"Crawford knows about you being a Sorceress-- from his visions," he added   
hastily at Nabiki's dark look, "He wants you to revive the 'Shitennou'."  
  
---  
  
End Chapter  
  
For those of you who don't know what the Shitennou is, shame on you. I gave   
it away when I named the stones. Going by the Manga SM time line for this   
bit-- Mamoru had the spirits of the Four Kings in four shards of the stones   
of their name. On one of occasion (I can't recall any others) the four   
appeared to him to give him advice.   
  
So, technically, Omi's telling Nabiki that he killed Mamoru to get the   
stones. 


	13. Capture

I've offically paid for my domain now. It can be found at   
http://www.finalknight.net  
  
I'm unsure if it's working right now, however. If it is there should be   
some dumb ass message that sounds like I took it off my answering   
machine. I'm very slowly moving everything across, so here's to hoping   
it'll be all up soon.   
  
Nothing more to say ri' now.   
  
  
  
True Identity  
Chapter Twelve : Capture  
Li Xiang  
  
  
  
"One down, nine to go!" crowed an exultant Saotome Ranma-onna as she   
danced into the main computer room, singing her personal victory song.   
One of those bloody Senshi was dead, and it was only time until the rest   
fell as well.  
  
The rest of the "Egyptian Pantheon" entered the House grinning as well.   
The redheaded Bastet was quite the sight, leather clad and bouncing   
about. Jei, of course, growled at anyone who got near her.   
  
Rache padded in a goody twenty minutes following this joyous return. She   
didn't really know how to feel about what had happened that night.  
  
On the one hand, she was overjoyed. She'd accomplished part of her   
mission. She'd destroyed one link to a group of people she'd much rather   
forget.  
  
On the other, the girl she had helped to lead to her death had been a   
close friend of her former best friend. The bond she'd had with Usagi   
may have deteriorated, but it had never truly broken-- and that was the   
problem right there. No matter how much she wanted vengeance for what   
they'd done to her in the past, years of friendship with Usagi made her   
feel guilty.  
  
Oh, not for having a hand in Kino Makoto's death-- but in making Usagi   
cry.  
  
Not for the first time, she wished she had her brother's ability to turn   
off her emotions. But she was a healer-- and for one to be a good and   
capable healer, one must be empathic.   
  
Quite the pain in the ass when on one hand you're killing someone, but   
on the other, you're "comforting" the grieving friends.  
  
She _hated_ being an empath.  
  
---  
  
It was dark, silent, and cold.  
  
Omi was wondering why they were preforming the ritual to withdraw the   
spirits from the stones in a cave. Although, the fact that he and Xian   
Phu were hauling along four bodies appropriated from the Nerima Hospital   
Morgue, might have had something to do with it.  
  
They were "recently dead"-- the bodies of a few older folks who had gone   
the way of the ancestors not all that long ago-- and therefore, they   
weren't exactly degrading yet. Nabiki had said it didn't matter-- as   
soon as the spirit entered the decayed body, it would change the age,   
and appearance of the dead to fit it's own from it's previous life.  
  
The spirit's memories would be imprinted on the brain as it was   
"restarted" by the spirit. It was a whole lot of mystic mumbo-jumbo, to   
Omi, that essentially meant that the bodies would be resurrected with a   
new soul.  
  
So the trio trudged through the darkness, step-by-step, lit only by a   
simple light spell. The bag in Nabiki's hand warmed with each step   
closer to her goal. The spirits knew they would be free. It was only a   
matter of time.  
  
---  
  
And somewhere out there, a certain fanged Lost Boy finally found out   
about Akane's comatose state. A flash of pure depression ki later, and   
there was a new basin in the Okanagan that would fill into a lake in the   
next rainfall.  
  
Hibiki Ryouga seethed, trembling with a mixture of anger and depression.   
He vowed to the heavens, "Damn you, Saotome! I will _kill_ you for   
this!!"  
  
For once, he stormed in the direction of Tokyo-- exactly where he wanted   
to be.  
  
---  
  
The fifteen year old sunk to her knees, staring off after her best-- no,   
ex-best-- friend. The twin blonde pigtails had long since vanished   
around a corner by the time she realized that she was drawing stares.  
  
She struggled to her feet, tears boiling painful trails down her cheeks.   
Usagi never turned down free food, as that had been what Naru had been   
offering. In order to salvage her falling apart friendship, Naru had   
asked if Usagi wanted to go for ice-cream-- the redhead's treat.  
  
Usagi had said 'no'.   
  
Since Usagi, in all the years Naru had known her, had never responded   
like that about _ice- cream_, something had to be wrong with Naru   
herself. As she trudged back towards the Osa-P, the lonely young woman   
reflected on Usagi's clique of friends, comparing herself to them.  
  
She wasn't famous, like Michiru or Haruka. She didn't have her own   
business, like Setsuna. Naru wasn't insanely brilliant, or strong, such   
as Ami or Makoto. She was beautiful or talented to the extremes of   
Minako and Rei.  
  
She was nothing like Usagi's new friends, and more often than not,   
whenever Naru wanted to see her ex-best friend, none of them would let   
her even get a glimpse of blonde hair. It was depressing to know that   
Usagi was purposely pushing her away, and using her clique of friends to   
do so.  
  
She had thought they'd be friends forever.  
  
It didn't look that would happen anymore.  
  
---  
  
Once again, the band felt themselves become worried. Xue Shi was later.   
While an occurrence that was slowly becoming more and more common, due   
to various "activities" that she participated in, it still left them   
nervous as they began to warm-up on stage.  
  
Where was she?  
  
Oz's eyes passed over the crowed, before a shock ran through him. It   
couldn't be...  
  
The Sailor Senshi, in civilian form, were in the crowed. All of the band   
had been informed of their identities as an extra precaution, should the   
Senshi assume the band was part of the enemy. This way, the band could   
fabricate stories about Xue Shi appearing and disappearing, if asked.  
  
But their presence also explained in part why Xue Shi was late. Dammit,   
she was cutting this very thin... he paused as an amused blue gaze faded   
in from nothingness in front of the stage. No one else seemed to notice   
it, as they searched the stage and wings for a glimpse of the redheaded   
idol.  
  
'Pick a Song' she mouthed, and he nodded ever-so-slightly. Oz turned to   
the band, muttering the title of the song he wanted to do.  
  
Xue Shi's eyes glowed as Oz began-- and then she startled everyone   
around her as she began to belt out the lyrics, leaping onto the stage.  
  
"Take a step off your soap box and see  
What it's like on the ground  
Check your ego in detox, maybe  
Cause you're becoming unwound   
And it's killing me.  
  
Everyone complains about you  
They don't even know what I've been through  
I don't want the pain to doubt you  
I just want to throw you to the...  
  
Crowd! Ask them what they want  
I'll tell you what they'd say  
A hundred million people voting my way loud  
And everything is wrong with everything you say  
A hundred million people seeing my way  
  
Go ahead play the hero this time  
If you have any spine  
I'm a tolerant zero today  
You can say anything to make me stay  
  
With everything that's happened to me   
Losing faith in everything I see  
Waiting for the walls to break free  
I'm listening but I can't hear a  
  
Sound! Ask them what they want   
I'll tell you what they say  
A hundred million people voting my way loud  
And everything is wrong with everything you say  
A hundred million people seeing my way  
  
[Here, Xue Shi gave a yowl of the feline variety]  
  
You'll learn some day  
You'll see my way  
Don't be afraid  
Just go my way  
  
Ask them if they want  
I'll tell you what they say  
A hundred million people voting my way now  
And everything is wrong with everything you say  
A hundred million people seeing my way  
  
A hundred million people seeing my way now  
  
A hundred million people voting my way now  
  
A hundred million people seeing my way!"  
  
Once finished, she gave the crowd a mocking bow, "Welcome, welcome,   
welcome. I hope you're enjoying yourselves."  
  
In the crowd, the Senshi grabbed their henshin pens, awaiting the   
"inevitable" attack upon the unsuspecting crowd by the "evil" Bastet.   
Xue Shi thought it was amusing the way they all visibly tensed.  
  
"Since," she proclaimed, "I'm in an odd mood... I think we'll take   
requests tonight. Ask away!"  
  
After running through 'Crawling', 'One Step Closer', 'Hollywood', 'Money   
Bought', 'Jacob's Ladder' and 'Deny', Xue Shi bounced back to the center   
of the stage, having taken a break off to one side for a bit of a   
breather. She put on a depressed facade, "I know everyone wants to   
continue with the concert, but something's come up. One of my   
roommates-- idiot that he is-- managed to get himself injured enough to   
go to the hospital. So I have to go visit my dear, dear, Kenken."  
  
There was a general feeling of disappointment that it was over so   
quickly, as Xue Shi left the stage.  
  
The Senshi frowned, waiting and waiting. The club emptied, and there was   
no sign of Bastet. Confuse, the Senshi trudged out of the club, their   
positive belief that the enemy would take any chance to attack, shaken.   
  
The Senshi split up and Ami found herself walking home alone. The loss   
of Jupiter still hung heavily over their heads.  
  
"God dammit! What the _hell_ are _you_ doing here?!"  
  
That was... Bastet's voice! Ami hit the all-call on her communicator,   
moving silently towards her target. She broke into an outright run at   
the next voice-- Charon's.  
  
"I'm going to beat you and take you to Sailormoon to be healed!"  
  
Ami came around the corner, and froze. Charon stood there, weilding her   
blade. That was not all-- said blade's tip was right on Bastet's   
jugular. Charon appeared to be winning-- so Ami fell back, raising her   
pen to henshin--  
  
And found it floated away from her. A second later, he arms were pinned   
to her sides. Shocked, she found herself staring up into Charon's   
brother's face.   
  
Schuldich's voice chilled her, "Time to try out that new move, Bishoujo.   
The Senshi are coming."  
  
Ami's face turned ashen when Charon released Bastet, and stepped closer   
to her brother. The girl named for a goddess stepped closer as well.  
  
"Iron Body Defense Cloth revised! Hidden in the Shadows![1]"  
  
Ami couldn't tell if anything had happened until the Senshi leapt into   
the alley, searching in confusion. Charon's hand over her mouth   
prevented any action, however, leaving her to stare as the Senshi left.   
They had decided Ami must had taken the fight elsewhere.  
  
Once gone, Bastet sunk against a wall, "Remind me not to do that again.   
Hiding multiple people is hard!"  
  
Charon snorted, "You just have to build up your ki reserves, Ranma."  
  
"I don't need to hear you two arguing," Schuldich grumbled, "besides, we   
have a mission."  
  
"Right, right," Charon muttered a bit sourly, turning to the Mizuno   
girl. Said girl was staring at her, and Charon changed the position of   
her hand-- from covering the girl's mouth, to cupping her cheek, "Sorry   
'bout this."  
  
"About what?" Ami's eyes narrow as she spat at the redhead, "That you're   
a traitor to our Princess?!"  
  
"Your Princess," Charon corrected, fairly evenly, "I was never a Sailor   
Senshi. I'm the younger sister of an assassin."  
  
"One hired to kill you," Schuldich purred into his captive's ear, "So   
guess what we're going to do now?"  
  
---  
  
End Chapter  
  
[1]Ever notice that attacks have lame ass names in anime? I just thought   
I'd carry on the tradition...  
  
I'm an evil bitch for ending it here, aren't I? *sadistic grin* 


	14. Exdeceased

Ha-HA! Sucess! http://www.finalknight.net WORKS!   
  
So there's not really anything there yet... I'm still hauling everything   
off the old servers to the new one, so give me a break. Then I'm also   
working on setting everything up with PHP.   
  
I'd like to introduce my new pre-reader, Mei Neko, who also happens to be   
an AWESOME artist. Take a bow, and a Plushi, Mei *waves at a pile of   
Identity-series Plushies. There's Ranma, Ranma-onna, Ranma-as-Bastet,   
Jei, Jei-as-Ptah, Yohji, Yohji-as-Horus... etc. EVERY character*  
  
Now, I'm going to go "eep!" and run off to finish my new website. Later   
Days!  
  
  
True Identity  
Chapter Thirteen - Ex-deceased  
Li Xiang  
  
  
  
"Bu... bu... but why?" Ami half screeched, half stuttered "who would hire   
you to kill _me_?!"  
  
"The Japanese and American governments," Charon-- no, she wasn't a   
senshi, was she?-- shook her head, "And I don't really know why we're   
telling you this."  
  
"Melodrama," 'Bastet' grinned, "The bad guys _always_ give away their   
plans before they do them, only to be thwarted before any lasting damage   
is done."  
  
"You just like seeing the fear and terror in their faces when they   
realize they have no way out," Schuldich scolded, giving the former   
psuedo-senshi a _look_. Bastet snorted at him, and then rubbed her chin.  
  
"How will we do this? The hunting style I did when I first ran with you?   
Bullet through the skull? Or vaporization to give her friends false   
hopes?"  
  
"A little of this, and a little of that," Schuldich offered, "Kleine   
Schweister hasn't had much of a chance to use that weapon of hers."  
  
For a split second, there was a hint of uncertainty in Rache's face, but   
it fled swiftly. The eighteen year old had yet to detach her emotions   
from her missions. She _was_ an empath, after all, and on top of that,   
she'd been hired to assassinate her former friends.  
  
Her grip on her long-hafted scimitar tightened unconsciously, and she   
stepped away from her brother and Ami. The male German noted his sister's   
uncertainty, and decided to "help her out".  
  
Reaching out to her, mentally, he blocked her "softer" emotions from her   
reactions, forcing her down the path of apathy. Of the group that lived   
in the House, only Rache, Nobuyuki and Fei Li could not just grab a hold   
of their own indifference with a simple shift of thought process. The   
assassins had been trained that way. Oz had learned to do so long ago,   
and was almost permanently in it.  
  
Ranma had been raised under the ideal that emotions were a downfall--   
something to be manipulated.  
  
She paused as she felt her emotions seemingly get locked behind a   
barrier, /Danke Bruder./  
  
/Not at all./ he sent back, as she used the tip of her scimitar to trace   
the column of the ice senshi's neck, and along her collar bone.  
  
"You know," Rache started, conversationally, "If you lot hadn't pushed me   
away, I might have been able to convince bruder and his team not to have   
accepted this mission."  
  
Ranma's eyes tracked the blood that beaded along the very thin cuts in   
Ami's neck, absently licking her lips.  
  
"But, you did, and I didn't," she hummed, digging the blade deeper,   
carving it into her shoulders and upper arms. Blood began to soak the   
blue haired one's shirt.  
  
"Stop," Ami whimpered, "Please... stop! We'll... we'll stop pushin--"  
  
"Tormenting!" she snapped, pushing the blade all the way through the   
other woman's shoulder. Schuldich twisted out of the way just in time,   
still holding Mizuno in place.  
  
"We'll do whatever you want!" Ami screeched, sobbing at the pain. It   
hadn't hurt nearly as much as this the last couple times she'd died. Then   
again, those deaths had been immediate, not dragged out in this sadistic   
torturing.   
  
"All I want," Rache purred, "Is for you to die," and she followed words   
with actions, swiping with her pole arm.  
  
Mizuno Ami gurgled in the shadows of the dark alley, as blood poured from   
her slit throat, and frothed in her mouth. Accusing blue eyes, face   
locked in pain, stared back at the grey-garbed psudeo-senshi.   
  
Emotionless emerald eyes stared back at the other woman, lips pursed into   
a thin line.  
  
The mental block still hid her own emotions from her, and Rache   
shouldered her blood-soaked weapon, "I'll meet you two back at the   
House."  
  
Ranma swept forwards, scooping Mizuno's body out of Schuldich's arms,   
  
"I can take care of this."  
  
"Right," the Guilty One nodded, moving to follow his sister. She would be   
horrified by her own actions, once he'd dropped the barrier. He wanted to   
be there for his only living relative when that happened.  
  
Back at the murder scene, Ranma was holding Ami's body. The senshi was   
still clinging to life, barely holding on with a tenacious grip-- and was   
choking on her blood. Ranma dragged her finger through it, smearing it   
across her palms.  
  
"You know who you look like?" Ranma mused, "My fiancee, Akane. Although,   
it was Shampoo who had her throat slit. Eh, doesn't matter, does it? I'm   
not leaving a body behind for your friends to find. Say g'nite Miss   
Mercury. Happo Go Ensatsu revised: SPIRIT OBLITERATION!"  
  
---  
  
He came to with a blinding headache, and he clutched at his skull. Hair   
fell into his face as he pulled himself into a sitting position, with a   
slight grunt.  
  
Something cold pressed against his lips, and a male voice commanded,   
"Drink." Icy water spilled down his throat, and he wondered where he was.   
  
What was happening? The last this he remembered was...  
  
Was...  
  
Was... his own death!  
  
Ice pale eyes snapped open, and he found himself peering into a pair of   
reddish irises. Violet hair-- short and wild-- framed her skull, and she   
wore a violet floor-length jacket over a black and purple dress.  
  
"Who..." he croaked, then cleared his throat, "Who are you...?"  
  
"Her name is Xian Phu, but most call her 'Shampoo'," the male voice came   
again, and he looked past the female to the other nearby. He was dressed   
in a white version of Xian Phu's jacket, a pair of black pants and ebony   
vest, and a white shirt, "She's incapable of speech."  
  
The sandy-haired teen was checking over a familiar still form, but   
continued to speak, "I'm Omi, Sorceress' Knight. Who are _you_?"  
  
"Kunzite Ei'lorosha," he frowned, "I should be dead. Why am I...?"  
  
"Our Sorceress revived you and your fellows," Omi grinned wryly,   
"Although, finding bodies for your spirits to occupy was far from simple.   
You're the first to awa--" he cut himself off suddenly with a scowl,   
followed by a put upon sigh.  
  
"Looks like another senshi had fallen," he muttered, "And Rache is   
freaking out over it."  
  
Xian Phu ran through a series of hand motions that Kunzite didn't   
understand.   
  
Omi nodded, climbing to his feet. He paused, looking at Kunzite, "You'll   
have to find your way back to the House through Xian Phu. Nabiki and I   
are needed to help Schuldich calm Rache down."  
  
He disappeared into the shadows, and the annoyed looking woman withdrew a   
miniature white board and pen from nowhere. She scribbled out a message.  
  
'You're going to have to help me care for your friends.'  
  
He nodded, "Very well. And perhaps you could explain everything to me..."  
  
---  
  
Brown eyes fluttered open, blinking up at the ceiling. Where...? What's   
going on?  
  
Blood red lips pursed in through, attempting to recall what had happened   
over the past few... days? Weeks? It no longer mattered, she supposed.   
Rolling her shoulders, the ebony haired woman drew herself to her feet,   
"C'mon Fox-girl, no point in lazing about."  
  
Well, that was certainly true, brain told mouth, which was what had   
spoken, and mouth quirked with happiness. With that out of the way, she   
took hold of the door knob, cracking it open and peering out.  
  
Hospital orderlies, doctors, patients and visitors. No sign of her   
pursuers anywhere. "Falling asleep in a utility closet worked better than   
I thought!" she chirped to herself, stepping out of the aforementioned   
closet.  
  
"Although..." she murmured, while straightening the ties of her "doctor   
disguise", "...I would have thought Kritiker would try harder."  
  
Well, that didn't matter, she decided with a smile. It was crooked and   
broken, but it was a smile none the less.  
  
Her ears perked as a familiar pair of voices floated to her down the   
hall. Birmen and Manx? What were _those_ two meddlers doing here?   
  
Listening closely, she managed to get the gist of the situation.  
  
"That poor boy, that poor girl," she muttered, trailing after the pair to   
see where they would go. She smiled happily, and had to resist the urge   
to clap when they entered one of the rooms.  
  
She would save this... Fujimiya Aya, she decided. And she would free poor   
Aya-chan's big brother from his servitude to the evil sadistic clutches   
of Kritiker. She was practically _bouncing_ with the idea.  
  
---  
  
"Ugh, that's gross Xue Shi!"  
  
Ranma rolled her eyes, as Nobuyuki looked sick. She was licking the   
remains of Mercury's blood off her fingers, "So?"  
  
"No comment," he groaned, before a thoughtful expression crossed his   
face, "Well, that would explain why Naru is sobbing in her room."  
  
"Crying?" Ranma gave her band-mate an odd look, "Why would she be   
crying?"  
  
Nobuyuki shrugged, "Probably something to do with that mission you did   
tonight. We're practicing in thirty, though. Akira said tonight's gig   
sucked."  
  
"I'll be there," Ranma waved him off, beginning her search for hot water.   
It was in the kitchen-- with Omi and Nabiki. The Tendou girl flared   
evilly at Saotome, promising vengeance, just as soon as she was done   
doing... whatever it was she was doing.  
  
"What's with the pot?"  
  
Nabiki glowered at her, but Omi did offer the redheaded singer an answer   
"It's easier to calm someone down with a potion."  
  
"Oh," Ranma shrugged, dumping a glass of hot water over her skull. He   
wrung the water out of his hair-- a tougher thing to do since it had been   
cut; it was times like this that he missed his pigtail-- then out of his   
shirt. He began to walk away, only pausing in the doorway to the hall,   
"Why are you making a calming potion?"  
  
This time both of them shot him a 'figure it out, baka' look, and   
returned to what they were doing. A bit confused, and a bit more annoyed,   
the martial artist left the kitchen, in search of Nagi.  
  
Ranma wanted another shot at beating the other boy in Mortal Kombat-- the   
video game, of course.  
  
---  
  
Yohji sighed heavily, stroking Rache's head in a hopefully soothing   
manner. While normally he would be ecstatic that he had the girl he'd   
fallen for in his lap, but not now. Not with her sobbing into his shirt.  
  
Schuldich hovered in the doorway, biting his lip. This was not a   
situation he was well versed in. He just hoped Omi and Nabiki would hurry   
it up. He hated his sister looking so broken up over something. It made   
him want to kill whatever hurt her.  
  
Rache was still wearing her bloody fuku, her pole arm cast to the floor,   
blade sinking into the plush carpet that she herself had picked out to be   
laid there.  
  
Several minutes of this passed, before Schuldich moved away from the   
door. A moment later, Nabiki entered, a mug in one hand. The Sorceress   
known as the ice queen stepped up next to the still crying redhead,   
lightly tapping the older girl's shoulder.  
  
One red-tinged green eye peered blurrily out of a tear streaked face,   
eyeing the mug.  
  
"Drink it," Nabiki reigned in her normal urge to ask for monetary   
compensation for doing this. Neither Schuldich nor Yohji looked much in   
the mood to take it as a joke. While she could probably use her magic to   
shield from physical attacks, she'd yet to come up with a spell to   
protect her mind from mental ones.  
  
The eighteen year old didn't stop crying as she reached out and took the   
mug, gulping it down. She made a face at the taste-- a mixture of   
  
Buckley's cough medicine type taste and the flovarou of coffee beans   
before a change in her mood happened. Her tears slowed to a sniffle, and   
her shaking came to a halt, but she did not move from Yohji's lap.  
  
---  
  
End Chapter  
  
Er, if some of the speech sounds out of character, blame it on   
shakespere. We were "studying" Hamlet (read: watching the Mel Gibson   
version of it in English) while I wrote this chapter. Shakespere has a   
bad habit of influencing me at the worst times. I've found that after a   
class spent reading Hamlet I think with Shakesperean words. It's creepy. 


	15. Pointlessness

I get the feeling people don't like me. I've only gotten emails from   
Mei Neko (my prereader, remember?) recently. Does no one liiiiiiike me   
anymore? *sniffles*  
  
Er, right, I guess I'm a bit weepy, so sue me. I'm overly tired. Stayed   
up way to late on Halloween, got up way to early yesterday, and ocne   
again stayed up way to late last night. I figure it's just sleep   
deprivation or something, and I'll be fine by Monday.   
  
I've got all that Halloween candy to eat that'll help perk me up. And,   
ignoring the fact that I am seventeen, I did go trick-or-treating; I   
was a gypsy, since I kept stepping on me dress, and ripping it, I tied   
the front up into a big huge knot, and therefore, looked like a gypsy.   
  
Yes, I'm bored, if I'm typing this all out.   
  
I should probably go type up Chapter Fifteen, or perhaps work on Shiva,   
Egyptian Sands, or Dejitaru Legend. I've got to many things on me   
plate...  
  
  
  
True Identity  
Chapter Fourteen - Pointlessness  
Li Xiang  
  
  
  
Kunzite padded after his Amazon guide, studiously ignoring the fact   
that behind him Nephrite Rakhashann and Zoitcite Notikulachi were   
bickering loudly. Jadeite Sumarial walked lightly alongside him, the   
group of five navigating the twisting and turning passages of the cave.   
  
As they stepped out of the mouth of the cave, Xian Phu turned back to   
the entrance. Curious, the two arguing stopped and watched as she made   
a series of motions with her hands, before a slab of rock flickered   
into appearance over the cave's entrance.  
  
"Why'd you do that?" the effeminate blonde wondered, only to get   
slapped upside the head by Nephrite.  
  
"Because, idiot, she obviously doesn't want people finding her   
laboratory."  
  
"How the hell was _I_ supposed to know that?!" Zoicite snapped back,   
"It didn't look like any magical laboratory I've ever seen!"  
  
The pair fell back into their comfortable bickering as the former   
Amazon took the lead, picking through the brush. Annoyed with having to   
listen to the blonde and brunette behind them; Jadeite turned to face   
the eldest of them.  
  
"So why hasn't out guide said anything?"  
  
"Xian Phu is incapable of talking," was the tart response, "I was not   
given a reason as to _why_, by Tsukiyono, before he had to leave."  
  
"Ah..." Jadeite nodded in understanding, "Any guesses, though?"  
  
"Have you looked at her throat?" the white haired man wondered,   
"There's a scar running across it; I assumed that was the reason."  
  
In front of them, Xian Phu glowered, gritting her teeth, as she   
listened to the two blue-eyed men discuss her lack of speech. If she   
didn't have to bring these four back to the House, she would have   
beaten them all into a bloody pulp by now.  
  
She still might.  
  
She was getting _such_ a headache."  
  
---  
  
"You know, I've been wondering something."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Why don't you go to school?"  
  
Ranma looked over at a sleepy Ken as the pair raided the kitchen for   
breakfast materials. The younger male shrugged, returning to his   
search, "Don't wanna go back to Furinkan."  
  
Ken tilted his head in confusion as he moved the rice. It had been a   
long night, most of the House not going to bed until after Rache had   
slipped into sleep. However, Ranma and Ken had woken up a trifle early,   
and had-- at Ken's insistence-- decided to make an American style   
breakfast for everyone.  
  
Pancakes, eggs, and bacon.  
  
They'd had to go out and buy bacon-- and it was fairly expensive, as   
this _was_ Japan-- but Xue Shi had paid for it. Now they were just   
looking for the ingredients for the pancakes. Surprisingly, Ken knew   
the recipe by heart.  
  
"Well, you see," Ranma explained, pulling out the baking soda he'd   
located "I'd have to deal with Nabiki everyday, deal with the True   
Blunder, deal with Ucchan's endless 'endearments' meant to make sure I   
'know' that I 'love' her, and I'd have to deal with the ki-vampire   
Hinako!"  
  
Ken flinched for a second, "Ki-vampire...? And anyways, why not   
transfer to another school?"  
  
"Principal Kunou refuses to let my transcripts go until the end of the   
year. And a ki-vampire is a person who drains someone's battle aura to   
sustain their own-- in Hinako's case, to keep her an adult instead of a   
child."  
  
Withdrawing various bowls and spoons from a cupboard, Ken frowned, "I   
guess that _would_ be a problem. Do we have everything?"  
  
"Dunno," Ranma shrugged, "I don't have a clue how to make pancakes,   
Kenken."  
  
"Don't call me that," the normal irritation wasn't in his voice--   
either because he was still to tired for that, or because it was not   
Schuldich using the asinine nickname-- and the nineteen year old   
shuffled over to where Ranma had placed everything he'd picked up.   
Looking it over, he nodded "Yeah, that's everything. We can start now."  
  
Ranma licked his lips, "Good, I'm getting hungry."  
  
---  
  
Okay, so maybe it hadn't been her smartest move ever. So sue her! Hmph.  
  
She readjusted the girl's position on her back as she bounced from   
rooftop to rooftop. Where _was_ that stupid shop?!  
  
Oh, wait. There it was! Gleefully, she touched down in front of the   
door, taking the time to shuffle her comatose rider's weight as she   
reached up to tap on the closed rear entrance.  
  
The annoyed face of Mugoh Kojiro greeted her. Annoyance changed to   
confusion, back to annoyance, clear through irritation to land on   
officially pissed off, "Yuki."  
  
"Hey, Kojiro-jiisan!" Yuki smiled broadly at the older man, "Is mom   
'round these parts?"  
  
Kojiro muttered something about a family of lunatics, but answered with   
a, "No, Yuki."  
  
"Oh," she looked a bit depressed, chewing at her lower lip, before   
something occurred to her. She cheered up considerably and visibly,   
"Well, when Mom comes by, tell her that I've kidnapped someone, and   
Kritiker is trying to track me down to kill me, again."  
  
"Yuki what are-- Yuki! Yuki get back here!!"  
  
But she was already gone, vanishing over the next rooftop. Kojiro   
groaned pitifully, trying to figure out just what he was supposed to   
tell Yuki's mother.  
  
Sometimes, it sucks to be a contact for the assassins Raven and   
Kitsune.  
  
---  
  
"Stop stealing the bacon!"  
  
"I paid for it!"  
  
Omi awoke to Ken and Ranma's bickering, and groaned. He was regretting   
for letting Rache talk him into a room beside the kitchen. He was   
_always_ being woken up by someone mucking around in there.  
  
"Tell 'em to shut up," said a grumble from his side, and he felt his   
pillow go out from under his head. Sighing, the Knight crawled out of   
his western-style bed. He trudged out of the room, leaving Nabiki   
curled up with a pillow over her head to muffle the shouts.  
  
As it had been so late when Rache had finally fallen under Somnus'   
power, Nabiki had "decided" to remain at the House for the night. It   
had absolutely nothing to do with the fact she'd passed out when she'd   
sat down for a break.  
  
It took a lot of energy to raise four people from the dead.  
  
In any case, an Omi decked out in his favorite pajama bottoms-- blue   
ones; that looked about to fall off-- and a pair of grey boxers poking   
out of afore mentions pajama bottoms, trudged into the kitchen, and   
gave his teammates a dirty scowl. Ranma and Ken blinked at him in   
confusion-- Saotome with a piece of bacon in his mouth, and Ken,   
half-phased through the table, in an attempt to catch the thief.  
  
"Something wrong, Omi?"  
  
"Would you two keep it quiet?" Omi hissed, "Some of us are trying to   
_sleep_!"  
  
Ranma snickered, and Ken blushed, "Oh, sorry, Omi. But breakfast is   
almost ready. If only _Ranma_ would stop stealing it!"  
  
Ranma grinned, waving empty hands as he swallowed the last of the bacon   
he'd taken, "I was hungry, okay? I won't steal anymore," until   
breakfast is on the table, he thought to himself, stormy eyes glinting   
gleefully.  
  
Omi scowled at them again, before moving out of the kitchen, and back   
to his room. A few moments later, a sleepy Fei Li followed Fujimiya   
into the kitchen, where he proceeded to crash at the table, falling   
back into the comforting embrace of sleep. Aya, on the other hand,   
stole his own piece of bacon, picked up the newspaper, and settled down   
across from the now snoring Fei Li.  
  
Ranma swung himself down into the chair beside the redhead, grumbling   
about Ken forbidding him from eating anything more.  
  
As the smell of food floated through the House, people began to crawl   
out of their beds to retrieve there morning meal.  
  
---  
  
The senshi of Pluto, Meiou Setsuna, stood before the unresponsive Gates   
of Time. She could see nothing-- not the future, not the past, and not   
ever the present. She was left without something that had been there   
for all the time she could remember.  
  
"It must be Makoto and Ami's disappearances, and Apollo's capture," she   
whispered to herself, sinking to the floor. Half of her hopes for   
  
Crystal Tokyo's creation was destroyed... but Usagi was still there.  
  
Usagi was...  
  
Princess Serenity... she... she had the crystal!  
  
Leaping to her feet once more, she prepared to enter the time stream   
once more, "Usagi-hime can heal Apollo!"  
  
---  
  
The senshi were getting nervous. Ami had vanished just over a week   
prior, there had been no attacks, so Pluto's plan couldn't be put into   
action, and Rache had been a wreak, nearly as long.  
  
When she'd been asked, she blamed it on a 'lack of memory' of   
everything that had happened following receiving the all-call from   
Mercury. The others could understand that-- they'd be frustrated as   
well, if they couldn't remember an entire hour. That, on top of losing   
her partner/best friend to the enemy had to hurt. But it had been a   
week. She'd calmed down some.  
  
The senshi were getting nervous, as previous stated. Normally, they   
were attacked when they were having personal problems. Amun-Ra's   
strategy was much different than any of their previous enemies-- in   
fact, the senshi had yet to learn what Amun-Ra was after, and they'd   
already lost three senshi to him.   
  
It was time for another attack.  
  
---  
  
Nippy.  
  
Very, very nippy.  
  
Those were the thoughts of the esteemed duo of Horus and Bastet.   
Standing on top of a building, with autumn fully set in and winter on   
its way, wearing leather and bare skin was... ever so much _fun_. They   
were freezing their arses off, they were.  
  
Bastet watched with interest as Horus pulled out another of those   
ancient Egyptian scrolls he used to summon the beasts. He'd taken a   
liking to the hieroglyphs, and had actually been _learning_ how to read   
and write in the dead language. It was practically what he had been   
doing over the course of the past week.  
  
With a dumb ass grin, Horus began to speak the summoning spell, without   
even bothering with the translation gripped in one hand. While he   
stumbled over some of the wards, it wasn't a need to speak them within   
a certain time period-- only that they were spoken in the correct   
order.  
  
Bastet whistled as the latest member of Amun-Ra's cannon fodder   
shimmered into existence below them.  
  
It was purple.  
  
And it stood about thirteen feet tall, but the most impressive factor   
was that it was a thirteen foot tall _purple_ elephant. That stood on   
its hind legs. It wore what appeared to be African ceremonial wres, a   
fringed pair of gold shoulder guards, and a fringed gold collar. Not to   
mention a fringed gold loincloth, with an ugly representation of itself   
in green on the purple fabric attached to the gold.  
  
It carried a curved blade in one hand, and the blade's hand guard was   
decorated in orange fringe.   
  
It would only be a matter of time before the senshi arrived. Horus   
drifted into the shadows as Bastet stood at the highest point of the   
building's roof, laughing gleefully, awaiting the forth coming battle.  
  
And below, the elephant-like creature created havoc.  
  
---  
  
End Chapter 


	16. Ginzoushou

Grr. Argh. Damn, why am I so flipping tired?!  
  
It's okay _Krypt_, I understand not having a lot of access. Destruction,   
destruction, destruction. I can't remember how much destruction is in the   
next few chapters... oh well, guess we'll find out when I get off me lazy   
bum and type them up, ne?  
  
Pointless Fillers always have to happen before you get to the good stuff. *nods her head rapidly*   
  
Bleh, still so very tired. I'm going to go crash on Itch's couch now.   
(I'm at her place while I type this. Hey! Maybe that's why I'm so tired!   
It's like, one in the morning! ... and she just wondered why I'm tired.   
ITCH! You don't let me read over your shoulder, you're not allowed to   
read over mine!)  
  
  
True Identity  
Chapter Fifteen: Ginzoushou  
Li Xiang  
  
  
For the past week, Yuki had hovered over the edge of the girl's bed. Not   
for the first time, the ebony tressed assassin reached out with her   
senses, probing Fujimiya's response. Still nothing. When would the girl   
wake up?  
  
"Pretty little thing," Yuki murmured, running her fingers through   
Aya-chan's unbraided hair. She settled herself in the seat beside the   
girl, absently staring out the window of the cabin at the Japanese   
country land.  
  
"Kojiro-jisan phoned last night, Aya-chan," Yuki started, with a distant   
gaze, "Kritiker knows you're gone, but they haven't told your 'niisan.   
They plan to keep your "disappearance" from him, so that he'll continue   
to work for them."  
  
Was that her imagination or had Aya shifted against her hand?  
  
"He hasn't been by to visit, obviously, but Kojiro-jisan says that it's   
because he's 'very involved' in a mission, and he hasn't been able to get   
away," she nodded to some invisible person, "Otherwise, he'd have come to   
find you, Little One."  
  
Shaking her head, she stood, pulling away from Aya-chan.  
  
Or, at least, she tried. Startled, Yuki turned to face the wavy haired   
girl in the bed. Her eyes were open, although appeared to be ready to   
fall shut once again, and her hand was fisted around the assassin's   
wrist.  
  
---  
  
"C'mon, c'mon," Charon hissed at her communicator.  
  
A sleepy looking Tsukino Usagi finally answered, "uh... huh?"  
  
"Usagi!" she barked, "There's one of Horus's toys by the Arcade! It's   
tearing up the road!"  
  
That snapped the leader of the Sailor Senshi out of her sleep rather   
quickly, "I'll be there in a sec!"  
  
"Right!" echoed Minako and Rei a moment later. Charon nodded, clicking   
off the watch-like device, and turning to face Nagi. The young   
telekinetic nodded, preparing one of the 'tin-cha' to go into battle as   
soon as Garnecia Elefantis fell. They were going to attempt to take out   
yet another senshi-- one of the Outers, hopefully.  
  
As Charon had been struggling against the guilt of her first kill, she   
hadn't been present at all of the senshi's meetings. She had no idea of   
Pluto's plan to 'heal' Bastet. The grey garbed psuedo-senshi clutched at   
her pole arm, once again shoving away her guilt. She could dwell on it   
again _after_ this battle. She couldn't let the real senshi know of her   
hand in Mizuno Ami's death.  
  
She strode quickly away from her brother's-- despite being on the team,   
she still thought of them as her brother's-- teammate, building up to a   
run. She brought her blade down on the violet elephant, just as the other   
senshi arrived. To them, it appeared as though she had been fighting a   
losing battle for some minutes.  
  
Moon would have launched into a speech, but Charon getting _back-handed_   
in the face, and getting sent flying back into a tree shot that plan to   
hell. The Princess let out a battle cry, and brought the Moon Tier to   
bear.  
  
"Starlight Honeymoon Therapy Kiss!"  
  
Garnecia trumpeted in pain, but got right back up, his garb ruined, but   
his power to high a level to be taken out in a single shot. Moon tried   
repeatedly, Mars and Venus throwing in some crossfire, in an attempt to   
destroy the blasted thing.  
  
Charon made a show of struggling into a sitting position, "Everyone. Hit   
him at once!" she called, wincing theatrically, as she pulled herself to   
her feet. Schuldich would have had a _fit_ if Charon had really gotten   
injured.  
  
And all at once they did-- Uranus and Neptune included. As Garnecia   
turned to swiftly fading dust, an annoyed Bastet landed in his place, and   
the pre-arranged Tin-cha lumber out of the shadows.  
  
"Stupid little... why'd you have to destroy a good minion?!"  
  
Venus and Moon were 'supporting' Chaorn, and the redheaded 'senshi'   
snorted, "I thought you hated Horus, Xue Shi."  
  
"I do," Batet snorted, subtlety motioning for Nagi to get the tin man   
behind her to attack, "But he's got some interesting beasties under his   
control. On that note...Tin-cha! Attack!"  
  
Of course, since Charon and Apollo had once explained how to defeat the   
metal man, Uranus and Mars took to cutting it up. Neptune took Moon's   
place in holding up Charon.  
  
"What's going on?" Charon hissed, watching the winged senshi get closer   
to Bastet. The feline girl was paying more attention to the Tin-cha.  
  
Schuldich wasn't in the area-- he'd be unable to tell the two redheads   
what was going on. He was currently busy dealing with the quartet Nabiki   
had brought home to them.  
  
Venus gave her an 'isn't it obvious' look prior to comprehension dawning,   
"Oh! You missed the meeting where Pluto told us that Moon could heal   
Apollo with the Ginzoushou."  
  
She _what_?! Charon panicked. What would the crystal do to her friend?!   
  
But she couldn't do anything-- not without endangering the mission. And   
despite everything, she knew Crawford and Aya would both seriously bitch   
her out for doing so.  
  
A no win situation.  
  
She nodded hesitantly to Venus and Neptune, and kept a worried eye on   
Bastet.  
  
Usagi had shifted out of her Eternal Sailor Moon form, and into that of   
Princess Serenity, cupping the glowing crystal in front of her. Bastet's   
head snapped in her direction as the living crystal was pulled out of   
subspace.  
  
The power that radiated off of it...!  
  
"Heal her..." Serenity whispered, hoping to 'free the sun soldier'. The   
Ginzoushou's power was all encompassing. Bastet was frozen in place, and   
let out a shriek as the pure, white magic throbbed through her.  
  
The dark magic of Jhusenkyou reacted to it-- badly. Pain rocketed through   
her tearing through her mental shields and slamming headlong into the   
full manifestation of the Nekoken.  
  
The redhead began to thrash, ki-claws extending and tearing up the ground   
and trees about her form. The senshi scattered, watching in awe as the   
violence of the reacting Jhusenkyou curse utterly destroyed the remains   
of the Tin-cha.  
  
"Wha... what's wrong?" Serenity whimpered, and Charon shivered, eyes   
glued on the violent reaction of her friend to the powerful white magic.  
  
"Dark magic and white magic don't react well together," the grey garbed   
senshi whispered to herself, voice shaking as she stared, "Bastet has   
been under a dark magic curse for two years..." before she could figure   
it out any further, the screaming Ranma-onna flared her aura in a   
desperate attempt to throw off the Ginzoushou's power.  
  
All that happened was that she drained herself of her own ki reserves--   
as tremendous as they were; the constant usage of her ki claws in her   
frenzied state had already drained her considerably. Once that happened,   
Bastet collapsed to the ground, unconscious and convulsing. A pulse of   
white power every few moments left the senshi with the understanding that   
the ginzoushou was healing her. A misguided interpretation.  
  
Horus had watched, horrified, from the shadows as Ranma was tortured by   
those senshi. If he had any doubts before that the repeated Saviors of   
the world were a threat that needed to be assassinated, it was gone now.   
They had blatantly chosen to torture an ally turned enemy for no other   
reason than that! He pointedly ignored Serenity's facade of shock.  
  
He caught Charon's horrified eyes as he darted out to pick up Bastet's   
shuddering body. He knew he'd have to help Rache get over what had just   
happened, even as he helped her get over the guilt of her first kill.  
  
His voice was pure venom as he lifted Bastet into his arms, "You should   
begin counting your lives in minutes. Ptah will be out for your blood."  
  
So shocked were the senshi that Horus simply walked away, carrying the   
sixteen year old in his arms. Farfello would be far from happy when he   
found out what had happened. And Yohji was going to make _damned_ sure   
that the psycho would know where the blame belonged.  
  
On Sailor Moon.  
  
---  
  
"So how did--" Ken cut himself off at the sight of Ranma-onna's still   
convulsing, limp body. The last time he'd seen Ranma like that had been   
back before Schwartz and Weiss had decided to live together.  
  
"C'mon, let's get her into her room," he said instead, dragging Yohji   
through the House to the gender-bender's bed. Setting her down, Ken left   
to retrieve some hot water, while Yohji tracked down Farfello.  
  
Several minutes later, Jei had striped Ranma out of her Bastet outfit,   
and was cradling the martial artist's head in his lap. Ken entered the   
room with a mug of fairly close to boiling water-- meant to not only turn   
Ranma back into a 'he', but also to force him back to consciousness.  
  
Farfello snatched the mug from his hands, barely noting that steam came   
from the water before dumping it all on his Kitty's head.  
  
It jerked Ranma back into the waking world-- but it didn't change her   
back. Jei growled angrily, his single eye burning with a fury so intense   
that it's burning gaze would have killed anyone fool enough to cross him   
on the spot. He pulled Kitty into a sitting position, and wrapped his   
arms around her, "Who dared to do this?!"  
  
"Sailor Moon," Yohji offered, almost cheerfully, before sobering and   
eyeing Ranma as she thrashed in Jei's grip, still fighting off the   
ginzoushou's power.  
  
The one-eyed assassin snarled, "I'm the one who gets to kill her."  
  
"Right," chimed Ken and Yohji. The leather clad playboy shifted a bit   
uncomfortably, "I'm going to go chance."  
  
Ken nodded, but kept his gaze firmly focused on Ranma-onna's face. Yohji   
had explained to him what Usagi had tried to do-- it didn't seem like the   
girl would try to lock Ranma as a female. There had to be-- "What's   
that?"  
  
Ranma's mysterious black mist had appeared again, apparently doing battle   
with Usagi's white light. Farfello and Siberian watched curiously as the   
two forces fought for dominance over Ranma. Finally, the black smoke   
defeated the light. After all, the light came from an outside sourse.   
  
The mist had come from within Ranma. Was this, perhaps, the Jhusenkyou   
Curse's physical manifestation?  
  
As the light died and the mist vanished back to where ever it came from,   
Ranma stopped her flailing. She gave a pain filled grunt as her eyes   
unglazed and she found herself free of that unending pain, "Where...?"   
she croaked, feebly.  
  
Farfello's grip tightened around her, and she looked up into a fiercely   
glinting golden eye, "Jei-sama..."  
  
He pet her head a bit tiredly, "My Kitty."  
  
"You alright, Ranma?" Ken wondered, ignoring Farfie's annoyed glare, as   
though he was saying 'What are _you_ still doing here?!'. Hidaka crossed   
his arms, awaiting an answer.  
  
"I'm fine," Ranma grumbled, although certainly not feeling all that   
perfect. She fidgeted a bit, becoming uncomfortably away that she was   
naked under the sheets. Normally, she wouldn't have given a damn, but she   
felt odd being female and naked while being questioned.  
  
Without her realizing it, Ranma's body shifted and changed, and then   
there was no longer a female Ranma in the grip of her master, but an   
obviously male one. He looked at Ken, confused over Siberian's startled   
stuttering, and Jei's surprisingly lax grip.  
  
"What?"  
  
"You... you... holy... how did..."  
  
"How'd you change?" Farfello growled lowly, "There was no hot water, what   
happened?"  
  
Being startled himself, Ranma patted his chest. He was definitely male.   
Confused blue met confused gold, and found no answers to their questions.  
  
---  
  
End Chapter  
  
Lalalalalalalalalala. Sleepy time... 


	17. Dreaming

*yawns* Okay, note to self, next time B calls after midnight, hang up   
on him. *rubs her eyes* My oh-so-nice friend decided to call me the   
moment he finished watching his dvd box set of G-Gundam. And then we   
talked for two hours about it.   
  
Considering I've never seen G-Gundam, I don't know how we managed to   
talk about it for two hours without him giving any spoilers. This is B!   
He _always_ lets something slip-- and yet he didn't. And now I want to   
see G-Gundam, jsut to see if it's as great as he proclaims it, but Kris   
has the first disc, so I'll have to wait. Joys.  
  
I have been writting fanatically lately; I know exactly where I'm going   
with True Identity, so I wanted to get it out of my head. I've already   
sent chatpers 17 and 18 off to my prereader, but Mei's a bit busy, so   
it might be a bit before they come back.   
  
  
  
True Identity  
Chapter Sixteen - Dreaming  
Li Xiang  
  
  
  
Rache flew into the House, half panicked. After Horus had left, Moon   
had crumpled to the ground in tears, barely being held up by Mars and   
Venus, while Neptune and Uranus played guard. And Rache had turned tail   
and run, eventually finding herself hiding in the shadows of the Koneko   
no Sumi Ie. There she curled up, shuddering and sobbing at her once   
friend's actions. Why had Usagi done that?  
  
Rache was positive that Usagi was only crying because she hadn't been   
able to finish whatever the hell she had been doing to Bastet. After   
she'd managed to calm down, she'd gone immediately to the House.  
  
This brings us back to the flurry of redhair and grey seifuku that   
dashed into the House, worrying over what had happened to her friend.   
Her eyes searched out her housemates, and spotted Yohji sprawled in the   
main living room of the House, "Yohji!"  
  
"Rache...?" the man looked up from his reading, just in time to be hit   
with a crying redhead, "Shh... shh... it's alright..."  
  
"...Ranma...?" she managed to ask between her sobs. A light hand landed   
on her shoulder.  
  
"I'm fine," came the oh-so-familiar voice of Ranma's male form, "A   
little shaken, and a little confused, but I'm fine."  
  
Rache turned tear filled green eyes to her friend, and sniffled.   
  
Loudly, she managed to say, "You're ok!"  
  
He cracked a grin, "I am. So... no more cryin', okay?"  
  
She gave a hesitant nod, before burrowing herself into Yohji's embrace.   
Ranma gave the older man a distinct look-- 'hurt her, I kill you'--   
that Yohji nodded his acceptance of. No hesitation, just full   
agreement. The martial artist smirked, and then glided away.  
  
With footsteps so soft that they were unheard, and fluid movements that   
didn't even rustle his clothing, the gender-bending martial artist   
slipped up behind the newest additions to their home. The four members   
of the Shitennou were watching the battle that had just happened on   
some of the House's monitors.  
  
"Looks painful," Zoicite muttered, watching Bastet 'get fried'.  
  
"It is," Ranma look extreme glee from the fact that all four jumped in   
surprise, "So, have you four chosen your sides?"  
  
The men looked between themselves, apparently reaching some decision.   
Zoicite, Nephrite and Jadaeite stepped away from kunzite. The brunnette   
motioned to the trio, "We're going neutral, Saotome."  
  
"How 'bout you, Ei'lorosha?"  
  
Kunzite crossed his arms, "I'm offering my services to Crawford."  
  
"Braddy-kins has a use for you?" the martial artist wondered with an   
amused look. Of course Crawford would have 'a use' for Kunzite. The   
future-seer _never_ did anything without a reason. The Shitennou would   
have remained spirits locked in stone if he didn't have a reason.  
  
Kunzite nodded, "I've already spoken with him."  
  
"So whatcha gunna be doing?"  
  
"That," Kunzite smirked, "is a secret!"  
  
---  
  
Aya-chan had a bit of trouble walking-- months in a coma would do   
that-- but she'd recovered remarkably quickly. Then again, with Yuki's   
"special" way for helping, anyone would.  
  
So the pair-- one sixteen, one nineteen-- was drifting down the road in   
the direction of a certain pet shop. Yuki could not care less that she   
was wanted by Kritiker; they would never attack her in broad daylight,   
on a busy street. And seeing as they were trying to find Fujimiya Ran,   
Aya-chan's hobbling stride down the road would only bring his attention   
faster, right?  
  
Ran would be ecstatic to find Aya up and about, now wouldn't he?  
  
At least, that was what Yuki's logic was thinking.  
  
Eventually, they came to the entrance of the pet shop. The bells over   
the door jangled as they entered, and Yuki carelessly caroled, "Jiisan!   
Jiisan, I'm home~!"  
  
"You live here?" wondered Aya, but Yuki shook her head negative.  
  
"Nope. Jiisan! Oi Kojiro, where are you hiiiiiiiding~?"  
  
"I'm right here, Yuki," the man stated, making her jump in surprise,   
  
"What are you doing back?"  
  
"We're looking for Aya-chan's 'niisan," Yuki grinned, already over her   
shock. Kojiro eyed her suspiciously.  
  
"And your brother, as well, no doubt."  
  
"Well, _that_ one is obvious!" Yuki flashed a grin. Kojiro shook his   
head, exasperated.  
  
"Go to No-chan, Yuki, I'm sure she knows."  
  
"She's here?" if anything, Yuki had began to bounce in place, she was   
so excited, "Yay! Aya-chan, you can meet my mom!"  
  
---  
  
Naru grit her teeth angrily.  
  
The redhead was seated at a table, picking at her bento. Emerald eyes   
were fixated on a specific blonde, that she could feel a slow, creeping   
hate build within her for. It had been two years now. Two years since   
she and Usagi had been so close.  
  
She felt so distant now. Usagi never called any more, her own few calls   
had not been returned and the blonde rarely came by the Osa-P. When   
Naru saw her friend at the arcade, she was always surrounded by her   
little clique of girls. Naru would begin to approach, and then they'd   
all get up and leave.  
  
It hurt to be excluded like that. She'd known they'd begun to drift way   
back when Mizuno Ami had first come to Juuban Middle School.  
  
Following that, Usagi had seemingly befriended every new student. And   
once someone had found themselves friends with the energetic blonde,   
they didn't want to be friends with anyone else. Naru could remember   
that feeling well.   
  
Naru could also remember the jealousy that would spring up whenever   
someone else "basked" in Usagi's favor. You were at the top of the   
world when you were Usagi's best friend.  
  
When you were the least of her friends, you did everything to regain   
her attention, her favor. Naru remembered her own desperation to get   
back to being Usagi's best friend, as it had only been a few months   
since she had been like that.  
  
Bitterly, she recalled the lengths Usagi went to ignore her. She felt   
like a toy, used and abused. Had Usagi planned it this way? The redhead   
honestly didn't know either way. As it was, she glowered sulkily,   
countenance driving off all who could possibly want to offer the   
sixteen year old friendship, as it was, Usagi took the attention of   
every new member of the school-- and that included the new transfer   
students.   
  
The Three Lights.  
  
Taiki Kou, Seiya Kou, and Yaten Kou[1]  
  
She narrowed jade eyes upon the trio that bore the same name, as they   
joined Usagi's clique to eat lunch. Abruptly, she stood, snapping her   
obento shut. With long strides, she returned to the school building,   
headed for the computer labs. She had work to do.  
  
As she stalked through the halls, she muttered obscenities in German.   
It was her first language, after all, and she never forgot it. She did   
not want to-- she didn't want to lose her only connection of her   
beloved elder brother.  
  
So involved was she in bitter thoughts, that she stalked right past one   
white haired, lavender-eyed 'reporter', dressed like a 1950s American   
Mafia member, without batting an eye. Koshin had told her that he could   
be found in the lab.  
  
She was about to take up the fifteen year old's offer to train her in   
the art of the blade.  
  
---  
  
Tomoe Hotaru jerked awake, violet eyes wide and unseeing. For several   
long moments, the disguised senshi lay in her bed, taking in deep,   
shuddering breaths. What... what had just happened?  
  
She'd been dreaming, she knew, but she hadn't dreamt that she was   
herself. In fact, she'd been dreaming that she'd been... Naru? It had   
been happened for a few weeks now, too. It was so confusing!  
  
Carefully, the girl wriggled out of her comforter, padding softly   
across the floor. She had to talk to the redhead-- these dreams she   
had... were they Naru's memories? She picked up her communicator,   
clicking it on and focusing on Charon. The magic of the Silver   
Millennium was truly impressive. Just by thinking of a person,   
communication could be achieved.  
  
She was startled by a male voice muttered, "Rache? Rache, your   
communication thingy is glowing." It was vaguely familiar...  
  
The Naru appeared on screen, eyes puffy and red from crying,   
  
"...Hotaru?"  
  
"Naru...? Could I talk to you?" the dark haired girl quickly threw in,   
  
"...in person?" when the redhead looked about to speak. After a moment   
the older female gave a hesitant nod.  
  
"Sure, when do you want to meet?"  
  
Hotaru had no choice, so she replied, "Now." she had to get this done   
right _now_, else she'd never remember to. If she went back to sleep,   
she'd lose this feeling, this _need_. She had to know, had to   
understand if this was just a dream, or if it was reality.  
  
"_Now_?" Naru repeated, incredulously, "Hotaru, it's two am!"  
  
"I _know_" Hotaru huffed, "But I have to talk to you. Is there   
someplace... private where we can talk?"   
  
"I..." Naru started, before her eyes glazed over. After a moment, where   
Hotaru was beginning to panic, Naru snapped out of it, nodding to   
someone off screen, "I'll come pick you up, Hotaru, since you don't   
know where the House is."  
  
"The House?"  
  
A wry grin was pulled from the redhead, although it was oddly tinged   
with sadness, "Oh, yes. The House. It's where I live."  
  
"I thought you lived in Mako-chan's apartment block!" Hotaru was   
confused. That's where she'd been a few months back, wasn't it?  
  
"She kicked me out a long time ago," the other responded, not bothering   
to add that she'd played a rather nasty prank to get herself kicked   
out, "I've been living with my older brother and his friends."  
  
"Oh..."  
  
"Look, Hotaru? Get ready; I'll be coming to pick you up in a few   
minutes, 'kay?"  
  
"Okay," and Hotaru beamed, "I'll be ready. Bye!"  
  
Naru cut the communication after saying goodbye, and Hotaru was left   
with the task of getting ready.  
  
And getting out of her house without Michiru-mama and Haruka-papa   
finding out was rather difficult. As she slipped out of her pajamas and   
into her clothing from the day before, the fourteen year old looked   
over at her window.  
  
Her room was on the ground floor.  
  
---  
  
Rache pulled Crawford's black Mercedes up to the curb in front of the   
Outer's home. The older man had no idea that the psuedo-sneshi had   
taken his car-- he'd been asleep-- so Rache was being extra careful in   
her driving. She _dearly_ wanted to _keep_ her 'boss' from finding out   
that she'd swiped his beloved imported vehicle.  
  
Hotaru flitted out of the shadows once Rache had stepped out of the   
Mercedes. For a moment, the redhead found herself comparing the young   
violet-eyed girl to Aya. They were both surprisingly well adapted to   
moving through the night.  
  
"Get in, get in."  
  
Once they were both into the car-- and safely on their way to the   
House-- Hotaru offered up a shy smile, "Thanks."  
  
"For what?" wondered the driver. Despite that it was night, it was   
still Tokyo, and that meant traffic.  
  
"For picking me up," Hotaru murmured, snuggling down into her arms.   
With winter coming, the night was getting colder and colder.  
  
It was almost three thirty when Rache pulled off the main road and into   
the warehouse district.  
  
"What are we doing here?"  
  
Rache shot Hotaru an amused look, "My brother has a lot of friends. And   
here we are!"  
  
Hotaru eyed the depilated structure warily. It looked about to fall   
over! But as one of the large truck doors creaked open, and Rache drove   
in, the fourteen year old found herself in awe.  
  
The broken down outer appearance made sure no one attempted to get into   
it. Therefore, safely protecting what was within. Aside from the   
Mercedes, there were three bikes-- one of which was a low-rider Harley   
Davidson of all things!  
  
There was a confusing pile of metal in one corner of the garage, but   
Hotaru thought she was just seeing things. It looked almost like a   
tin-cha before it was animated.  
  
"You know," came out voice from the doorway to the rest of the House,   
once the two had climbed out of the car, "If you're going to take   
Crawford's car out for a spin, you should probably be a bit quieter   
when you come back."  
  
Hotaru turned to look at their guest, and she just barely held in a   
squeal of delight. Just because Xue Shi had gone rouge, didn't mean she   
stopped being a good singer. It did not stop her band from being one of   
the youngest Senshi's favorites. And it certainly did not stop idol   
worship of her band-mates.  
  
"You're just over sensitive, Wolf-Boy," Rache half snapped at Oz,   
glaring at him meaningfully. Hotaru ignored the exchange of looks as   
she descended into full blown hero-worship. She clutched at Rache's   
hand suddenly, surprising the redhead.  
  
"Is... is that... is that Daniel Ozbourne!?"  
  
---  
  
End Chapter  
  
[1] Taiki, Seiya and Yaten are the family names. Kou is actually their   
first names. *shrugs* Naoko was being weird, I guess.  
  
And next week, we pick up with the talk between Rache and Hotaru. And   
things you'd never expect come to light...  
  
Hmmm, if anyone wants to host True/False Identity, all you gotta do is   
ask. I've been sending it off to people, but I don't know _every_ site   
online. Ask away-- in reviews or in an email. Doesn't matter to me! 


	18. Truth

_Krypt_, sorry if it's a bit confusing. I think I mentioned that Usagi   
was Eternal Sailormoon somewhere, so I figured it would be kinda   
obvious that the Outer Senshi were around. They've just been watching,   
and so far the Inner Senshi have been able to take care of their   
enemies but well... now they can't ^___^  
  
Adyen -- I know Chapter 16 wasn't up to my normal standards, and I   
don't think Chapter 17 is either, but then I'm just creating background   
for the big final battle I've fleshed out. *grin*  
  
  
  
True Identity  
Chapter Seventeen: Truth  
Li Xiang  
  
  
  
  
Oz gave a wave of acknowledgment, before moving out of the doorway. As   
Rache slipped past him, he hissed to her, "What are you _doing_?!"  
  
"Nothing at all, Ozzy."  
  
Hotaru missed the exchange completely, although she followed the   
redhead in, casting another glance at the guitarist. Once he was out of   
sight, she turned back to her guide, "Naru?"  
  
"Yeah Hotaru?"  
  
"Why are you living with Daniel?"  
  
"I live with Nobuyuki and Fei Li, as well," Rache grinned at her   
guest's stunned look, "Welcome to the House, Hotaru. Xue Shi purchased   
it for us a few months back."  
  
"Xue Shi... aren't you afraid she'll attack you?" Hotaru was confused,   
and only got more so when some strange emotion flickered across the   
eighteen year old's face.  
  
"Why did you want to talk to me, Hotaru?" Rache dropped herself into   
the plush couch in the House's general 'living room area'. Hotaru   
shifted nervously.  
  
"I've... been having these dreams," an eyebrow arched, and Hotaru   
hurried to explain, "I mean, dreams about... well, about living your   
life."  
  
"... really now."  
  
She bobbed her head, nodding rapidly, "Yes. Did... did you _really_   
think we were... keeping Usagi from you...?"  
  
Rache stood abruptly, the dark look shadowing her face making her   
appear more viscous than the youngest Senshi could ever imagine Bastet   
to be, "Yes," she snapped, brushing past the stunned girl, "Usagi was   
my _life_, dammit! Everything I did, it was for her. And when she got   
the Senshi, I was suddenly pushed away. Pushed, insulted both behind my   
back and to my face, tormented...! It never ended!"  
  
"I..." Hotaru didn't know what to say-- but someone else did. Violet   
eyes widened impossibly with shock as Horus-- Horus!-- seemed to melt   
out of the shadows and embraced the ranting woman. Rache calmed almost   
immediately, going so far as to _smile_ up at their enemy!  
  
"But I don't need her anymore," she purred, "I found my brother, I   
found new friends, I found a new reason to live. I'm not alone   
anymore..."  
  
Hotaru swallowed the lump that was building in her throat. What... what   
was going on? Two people who beat on each other as Charon and Horus...   
were hugging each other? And it was the 'more than friends' type hug,   
at that! And Rache... she had been talking like she hated the Princess.  
  
/Ah, but she does, liebechen./  
  
Hotaru let out a shriek that woke up the rest of the current occupants   
of the House, and caused Rache and Horus-- who was wearing a pair of   
grey pajama bottoms and nothing else-- to groan, "Schuldich..."  
  
/Liebechen has a good set of lungs, Schweister,/ came the amused mental   
voice, /but she woke up Bishoujo and Farfie./  
  
Hotaru was panicking, searching for the voice. Rache moaned about the   
horrid conditions, even as the man the Senshi knew as Ptah barreled   
into the room. A black haired, blue-eyed man following after him,   
silent as a spirit.  
  
"Senshi," Ptah growled, and the other man's eyes narrowed.  
  
"Naru, Kudou, what's Saturn doing here?"  
  
This man, Hotaru decided, must have been Amun-Ra. Who else could it be?  
  
"Sorry Ranma," Rache shrugged, "She called, and I brought her here. I   
never thought everyone would wake-up."  
  
"Murphy's Law," intoned Oz, who'd come to investigate the scream, "You   
can't get a break. Why'd the pipsqueak squeak?"  
  
"Schuldich," was the tart reply, green eyes warily watching 'Ptah'   
circle Hotaru, "Cool it, Irish. I wanna figure something out."  
  
"What?" wondered the single-eyed psychopath, "Oh, fine. But do it   
quickly. Her blood _screams_ to be spilled."  
  
/On Rache's oh-so-expensive carpet?/ mused the telepath. Everyone--   
excluding Hotaru whose panic attack was just getting worse-- ignored   
him.  
  
"Poetic, isn't he?" the dark haired man asked of Hotaru, in reference   
to Ptah, "Wonderful ways with words," he turned to the redhead of the   
room, flashing her a grin, "You hear Jei-sama, Naru. Do what you gotta   
do."  
  
"I thank you from the bottom of my soul for your oh-so-expressed   
permission," she bit out sarcastically, "Alright Hotaru. You said you   
dreamed you were... me?"  
  
She nodded, "When... when Usagi-hime was... was to busy to be yo-your   
friend," she stammered, violet eyes trained on the two frightening men   
eyeing her with blatant malevolence.  
  
"Now, why would you dream of _that_?" Kudou wondered, before looking at   
his girlfriend, "Did you heal her, Rache?"  
  
"No, I--"  
  
"You can heal people, too?!" Hotaru cut her off with a wide-eyed stare.  
  
"Too...?" echoed a confused playboy.  
  
"You mean you can heal people as well?" Rache wondered, eyeing the   
girl, "How odd. Maybe it's a healer thing...?"  
  
"Have you ever been dreaming yourself as Saturn?" Ranma questioned. At   
her negative response, his expression darkened, "Then that can't be it.   
Naru-- I know you can heal and push your ki around enough to make ki   
stamps, but can you understand the differences of a ki signature?"  
  
"Not really," Rache shook her head, "I can create a ki stamp for others   
to follow, like you said, but I can't really _read_ anyone's stamp."  
  
He ignored the second half of her response, "No two people can have the   
same signature. Or, at least, that's the theory that old monk in Tibet   
once told me. It was something I believe in, up until I met Saturn.   
Naru, you and she had the _exact_ _same_ aura!"  
  
Stunned silence entered the room as they watched the frustrated martial   
artist pace. This was his area of expertise-- anything pertaining to   
martial arts, which included reading auras to sense incoming attacks,   
he'd know. So they watched him pace as he muttered to himself, "I've   
never _seen_ this before! It's strange... Hotaru's aura is... 'lighter'   
I guess is the best word, while Naru's is 'darker'. It makes no   
goddamned sense!"  
  
"Ranma," Oz offered after a few more minutes of silence, "You're   
ranting."  
  
"I _know_ that!" he bellowed, surprising them, "What I don't know is   
how this happened! Naru is _four_ _years_ older than Saturn!"  
  
They stayed that way, Ranma thinking up one magical device or another,   
and systematically eliminating them from his list, for approximately   
two hours, trying to figure it all out. That was when a grumpy and   
annoyed Tendou Nabiki, flanked by Jadaeite, stalked into the House.   
She'd been awoken by the blonde man and told to head to the House from   
the Dojo, right in the middle of a very nice dream.  
  
"Alright, what the hell is-- Holy shit!"  
  
"Nabiki?"  
  
She cast Ranma a dark look, eyes glinting, "Stay out of my way,   
Saotome. Now, can someone explain to me just _who_ cast a high end dark   
magic spell to separate these two?" and she pointed at Hotaru and Naru.  
  
"They're one person?" question Kudou, eyeing the younger girl   
critically. Nabiki crossed her arms.  
  
"I know dark magic when I see it. Someone separate the kid from Rache   
about eight years ago. The kid represents the light and good, while   
Rache is the darker, more evil half," Nabiki frowned, "Looks like you   
were supposed to be a Senshi, Revenge-girl, and someone decided against   
it."  
  
"So what now?" Kudou was nervous. He and Rache were just starting their   
relationship. What would this do to them?  
  
"We recombine them, baka," Nabiki rolled her eyes at the obvious.  
  
"Hey! Don't I get some say in this?" Hotaru didn't want to lose her   
life just to 'recombine' with Naru. She liked her life!  
  
"No," Ranma clamped his hand on her shoulder, "Either you live, by   
being a part of Naru... or you die, and I take all your powers. What's   
it going to be, short-stuff?"  
  
"You... you'll kill me?!"  
  
Ranma grinned nastily, "Killed Jupiter and Mercury already. Want to add   
to the list?"  
  
"Ranma, stop scaring her," Nabiki snapped, annoyed with the   
gender-bender, "Let's go Kiddo, Rache. Jadaeite, tell Omittchi and   
Shampoo I've gone to the lab."  
  
"Right!"  
  
She waved at one of the walls, and a chill ran down the spines of all   
present. The wall warped and changed, and Hotaru tried to make a run   
for it. She didn't get far, as Ranma was already holding her in place   
with one hand.  
  
Nabiki frowned, then reached out with her power, wrapping it around the   
girl's mind, "Come, child, follow me. Rache, hurry it up."  
  
"Demanding, isn't she?" Rache offered with a cheeky grin, she darted to   
Yohji's side, planted a kiss on his lips, and then ran through the   
portal. Nabiki followed, shaking her head, and then the portal morphed   
back into a normal wall.  
  
"Weird," was the combined chorus of those present. Well, except for the   
depressed whine from Farfello, since he did not get to spill any blood.  
  
---  
  
Hotaru jerked back into control of her mind and body, only to find   
herself locked to a bar in the middle of a cave. Well, 'cave' was a bad   
description. Yes, the walls were stone, and the ceiling bore the   
tell-tale stalagmites, but the floor was smooth, glinting black stone.   
The natural shelving of the walls hosted a number of strange compounds   
and devices.  
  
"Where...?"  
  
"Welcome back to the Land of the Living, Hotaru," she jumped, twisting   
to face Rache. The redhead was kneeling on the ground, surrounded by   
pillows. A blonde man and a lavender haired woman she did not know   
leaned against a wall.  
  
Nabiki stood slightly between the redhead and the ebony haired girl.   
The brunette was beginning to glow, her chant getting louder and   
louder, in time with the glow.  
  
"What's going on?! Naru!!"  
  
Rache shot her a wry grin, "One way or another, we were going to get   
rid of all the Senshi. This way... you won't die."  
  
Horrified eyes turned to Nabiki, even as she shrieked the final words   
of the spell. Her mind split with pain, it thrummed and danced through   
her mind and body, twisting and twirling and aching.  
  
Then the pain vanished into a welcoming abyss, leaving her numb, with   
eyes wide and unseeing.  
  
Rache, on the other hand, felt the same pain, but her mind did not shut   
down. Through her extremities did she feel the burning tingle, and her   
stomach it felt as though white hot railroad spikes were being rammed   
through it.  
  
The tingle steadily became a screaming pain, washing over her as it   
did. The placement of the pillows suddenly made sense, as she collapsed   
into them, staring up at the roof of the cave.  
  
She could see motes of energy filling the air around her, dancing on   
the soft breezes that stirred the oxygen. They were white and black,   
ice-pale and violet, and even, oddly enough blood red and forest green.   
They captivated her attention, drawing her away from dwelling on the   
pain.   
  
Power and energy filled the air as the connection between Hotaru and   
Naru was rebuilt. Time would tell how they fit back together.  
  
---  
  
End Chapter  
  
Hehehehehe, I cut it off at a _good_ place, ne? And what's up with the   
red and green energy flicks. Mwahahaha, I'm not telling~. 


	19. Combined

Juuchan - There's a problem in the original, Bishoujo Senshi Seeramuun   
Anime. Naru and Usagi are "best friends", but in the first episode,   
Naru is introducing Usagi to her mom for the first time. So, not   
nessicarily have they been friends for a long period of time (explains   
how she can switch from Naru to Ami so quickly, ne?) Anyways, the eight   
years prior thing would slate Naru as ten years old, or about the time   
I figure she was adopted. Afterall, she wasn't put up for adoption   
until after her empathy and healing talents manifested, which didn't   
happen until she was a bit older, and not looking at her parents to fix   
all her "boo-boos". *shrugs* Timelines, always confusing, ne?  
  
Adyen, me too! I love Saturn. She's my favorite character-- the Soldier   
of Destruction, Goddess of Death. Mmmmmmm. ^_____^  
  
  
  
True Identity   
Chapter Eighteen: Combined  
Li Xiang  
  
  
  
"What do we do _now_?" pondered the Saotome, "wait for them to come   
back?"  
  
"It's almost six," Oz pointed out, "we might as well just start our   
day."  
  
Farfello was still glaring at the wall, half pouting, as he had missed   
his chance to cause some bloodshed. He only moved after Ranma hooked   
his arms around Farf's neck, and half dragged the man away.  
  
Half dragged, because halfway to Ranma's room, Farfello took over,   
dragging his purring pet after him. Oz and Yohji watched this with   
equal amounts of envy and disquiet. They were envious because neither   
was with their own mates-- Oz's having thrown him out, and Yohji's   
having just walked through a wall-- and disquiet because they both knew   
full well what was about to happen behind the closed door.   
  
Ranma and Jei were about to have some fun-- the sadomasochistic type of   
fun.  
  
Shaking his head, Oz disappeared, probably to tune his guitar, and   
Yohji was left with the task of cooking the House breakfast.  
  
/You could always let Kenken do it,/ came the oh-so-_annoying_ mental   
voice of a certain redheaded German. Yohji acknowledged the idea, even   
as he went to prepare the food.  
  
/C'mon, Kudou, let Ken do it!/  
  
/You got a reason for wanting him too...?/ wondered the playboy. The   
image 'downloaded' into his brain was unexpected. He really, truly,   
never-ever-_ever_ wanted to see Ken cooking breakfast in only a pink   
frilly apron, /Oh-kay, I asked for that./  
  
/Right you did./  
  
/I'm still not wanting to see that ever again,/ Yohji responded dryly   
to the unasked question, /Make sure you leave me out of your sick   
little fantasies next time. And _I'm_ making breakfast today, just   
because of that image./  
  
/Awwwwww..../  
  
---  
  
Fujimiya Aya-- the female one-- stretched as she pulled herself back to   
consciousness. Yawning, she scratched at the back of her skull, then   
stood up.  
  
Her wobbling legs convinced her that she needed to sit down again. She   
took the quickest route to the floor-- she collapsed. Upon picking her   
face up off of the hardwood floor-- and waiting for the stars to   
clear-- Aya-chan took a look around.  
  
Large picture window, with pale blue curtains, western-style bed with   
navy comforter and neon blue sheets were behind her. A plain oak   
dresser, and an open, but empty closet were to her right. Blinking away   
the unfamiliarness of her surroundings, the sixteen year old recalled   
the events of the night prior.  
  
"Oh! I'm at Yuki's parent's home!"  
  
"Actually, it's just mom's," came Yuki's cheerful voice, "She's in the   
middle of divorcing the old fool, so she'll get the house in the end."  
  
"Your parents are getting divorced? Why?!" Aya sounded stunned--   
obviously, she'd never heard of the 'old fool's' stunts over the years.  
  
Yuki dropped herself onto the floor beside the younger teenager, "When   
I was only a couple days old, he sold me to a man named Bane. Bane   
raised me, til I killed him, to take over his art. On top of that,   
Oyagi sold my little brother on multiple occasions into marriage."  
  
"...you're kidding."  
  
"Nope," Yuki smirked a bit, "Any ways, Mom says breakfast is ready. Can   
you stand?"  
  
"Yeah, but I can't walk," she grumbled-- then let out a yelp as Yuki   
swung the girl up into her arms.  
  
"Well then, Milady, I'll just have to carry you!"  
  
For the first time in years, the giggling of teenaged girls filled the   
Saotome Ancestral home.  
  
---  
  
Pain...  
  
It hurt so much...  
  
Meiou Setsuna let out another soundless scream as she clawed   
frantically at the Gates of Time. She could see nothing, eyes glazed in   
pain as a primevil instinct took over, told her something was missing.   
Had she been coherent, she'd have recognized the pain for what it was.  
  
For generations upon generations, the stations of death, rebirth, and   
time had been shared between Pluto and Saturn. The constant drain of   
the power split between the two had prevented the arguably most   
powerful Senshi from going stark raving bonkers.  
  
Sailor Pluto was learning what it felt like to have death and rebirth   
ripped away from her, although the connection between Time and Saturn   
still kept strong.  
  
But it hurt, like a thousand deaths.  
  
And it rendered Setsuna to little more that a clawing, screaming,   
spitting animal that knows something is horribly wrong.  
  
---  
  
I... I... I am...  
  
Who am I...?  
  
Tomoe Hotaru, Sailorsaturn...?  
  
Osaka Naru, healer, empath...?  
  
Both... neither?  
  
This was... this was so terribly confusing. She knew she was one   
person, but she'd been one person in two bodies. One being living two   
lives. But now she was two people in one body. Two sets of completely   
different memories. Memories that were merging and twisting, just as   
her form was... who was she?  
  
No... I know who I am...  
  
I am not Tomoe.  
  
I am not Osaka.  
  
I am... Destruction, and Death I am Creation and Rebirth.  
  
I am... Erika. I am Vengeance.  
  
I am...  
  
... Rache.  
  
---  
  
Sorceress Tendou Nabiki was leaning over Rache, checking her vitals to   
ensure she had not killed Yohji's girlfriend. She had changed,   
physically at the lead. Reddish-brown hair had become an ebony   
highlighted vibrant reddish-orange, not unlike her brother's own wild   
locks.  
  
She was slighter in form, but she had not lost any of her musculature.   
She looked, surprisingly, a bit older, as though the separation of   
Light and Dark, Yin and Yang, had prevented her from reaching full   
maturity.  
  
As Nabiki drew back, Rache's eyes fluttered open, and another change   
became evident. Her emerald eyes were still a sharp green, but flecks   
of violet flickered about them, shimmering and shining like crystals.  
  
"Nabiki?" well, thought the Sorceress, at least her voice had not   
changed.  
  
"How do you feel, Rache?"  
  
"Like I got run over by a tractor-trailer," she grinned ruefully,   
"Actually, I feel all tingly and junk. It's a strange feeling."  
  
"I'll bet," Omi mused from where he leaned against the wall. He shoved   
himself away from it, dropping to his knees to peer into her new   
irises, "but do you feel _different_? Can you access Saturn's magic?"  
  
She shrugged helplessly, "I have no idea. What I do know is this: Ranma   
needs to help me learn how to control all the extra ki I've got   
floating around--" she purposely ignored Nabiki's dark scowl and Omi's   
snort of derision, "--and that Yohji must be in a panic, not knowing   
what's happened to me."  
  
The other two chuckled at the image she brought up. Rache pulled   
herself to her feet, a bit wobbly due to her new balance, but after a   
minute or two, she'd gotten it straightened out for the most part. She   
still had to occasionally grab Omi's shoulder, however.  
  
Nabiki waved her hand at the closest bare wall, just as she had at the   
House earlier that day. Rache jerked with surprise as she _felt_ the   
magic form, felt it activate as its' mistress commanded it to.  
  
This was... unexpected, she thought, stepping through the portal. She   
blinked a bit, to adjust to the difference in light once she had   
stepped out of it.  
  
The light in the cave-lab had been magically pale, like moonlight. The   
light of the House was the simple, normal electric lighting-- a   
brilliant difference.  
  
Of course, before she could adjust to the difference, she was bowled   
over by a certain playboy with a facial scar, "Rache!"  
  
"Hey Yohji," she smiled up at him, "Would you mind getting off of me?"  
  
"Huh?" he paused, confused, then looked at how he was seated.   
Surprisingly-- or not, considering that he was sitting on Rache-- he   
blushed beet red, scrambling off her to the accompaniment of Omi's   
laughter. The seventeen year old grinned cheekily back.  
  
"Little over eager, Yotan?"  
  
"Oh shut up, Omi," the still red faced playboy muttered, hauling Rache   
back onto her feet. He opened his mouth to say something, but was   
interrupted by a _loud_ guitar riff. Yohji scowled, muttering once it   
had faded away, "I thought we'd gotten the band's rooms sound proofed."  
  
"Only works when they're in their rooms," Rache pointed out, "And that   
sounded a _lot_ closer than Oz's room."  
  
This point was driven home by another riff, as Oz played his way   
through the living room. He had a strip of beef jerky in his mouth--   
probably from the package his family had sent him. He appeared to be   
going from the kitchen to his bedroom as he practiced.  
  
Once he was back in his room, Nabiki let free a laugh, "Does he always   
do that?"  
  
"At least once a day," Yohji and Omi muttered in stereo, and Rache gave   
the brunette a long suffering smile.  
  
"Oz is like Ranma in a way-- neither wants to stop their practicing--   
it's just that Oz is _louder_."  
  
They all shared a chuckle at the absent werewolf's expense, and that   
was when Yohji finally took note of Rache's changes.  
  
"Whoa," he breathed, "Rache you..."  
  
"I what?" Rache, on the other hand, was still only aware of her   
difference in balance.  
  
"You... you look good," he grinned, "Nice hair."  
  
"My... hair?" at her confused look, Yohji realized she did not know. So   
he snagged her by the wrist, dragging her off to locate a mirror.  
  
Nabiki shook her head at the scene, before she yawned, "Omittchi?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"I'm tired," she snuggled up close to her boyfriend's side, and he   
looped an arm around her waist, "That spell took to much out of me..."  
  
"C'mon, you can sleep it off in my room," he guided her out of the   
living room, by passed the kitchen, and entered his room. Nabiki looked   
asleep on her feet, so he carefully laid her down, pulled the covers   
over her, and then left her to her rest.  
  
---  
End Chapter   
  
Go, be free, my little ones! Run amuk and be insane!   
MwehehehahahahAHAHAHAHAHAH!!! 


	20. Waiting

I should probably type up the next couple chapters and get them out to   
my prereader, ne? Mei already knows they've been written... I just   
haven't _typed_ any of them to send to her. Uhm... oops?  
  
No D&D here, either Ayden. But there _will_ be some destruction in   
Chapter Twenty. And some mindless evil, but then, that's what Yuki   
does best.  
  
Ran - Big Sister. Yuki's nineteen, Ranma's sixteen.   
  
Yuki was designed mostly by Mei Neko with a few twists ala me. She   
actually has a (large) role to play in one of the future books.   
^______^ I didn't have anyone else who could play the part, so I might   
as well introduce her in the second book, ne?  
  
  
  
True Identity  
Chapter Nineteen - Waiting  
Li Xiang  
  
  
  
"Ah... hello?"  
  
Nephrite was not used to answering the door. He had been a prince of   
one of the Four Kingdoms before they had been united under the House   
of Endymion, followed by a general in Endymion's army, then became one   
of the Lords of the Revolution when Beryl attacked the moon. In other   
words, he had always been the one who had people answer the door for   
him. Definitely not used to answering the door.  
  
"Hi!" chirped a female voice, from behind the elegant, kimono-clad   
woman at the door. Said elegant woman rolled her eyes, and then smiled   
at Nephrite.  
  
"You must be new to the House. I am Saotome Nodoka."  
  
"Ranma's mother?"  
  
"Yes," she nodded, and Nephrite stepped aside, allowing her and the   
two girls behind her in. He closed the door behind him, turning to eye   
the trio carefully.  
  
There was Nodoka, followed by a younger girl, sixteen or seventeen,   
he'd wager, and the third female was approximately nineteen. He   
wondered, briefly, who they were, then shook his head, "I'll see if   
Ranma is... available."  
  
The reason for his hesitation was obvious to Nodoka, but then, she   
knew her son. The other two eyed him oddly, before Nodoka motioned for   
them to follow her in.  
  
"Nice place," the older girl spoke, and the younger nodded her   
agreement.  
  
"Ranma spent a lot on it," Nodoka told them with a smile, "Now, the   
living room is this way."  
  
They followed her, taking in the sight of the warehouse come   
mansion-of-a-sort. They passed a number of doors with name plates on   
them, obviously bedrooms. There was 'Yohji'-- which had 'Playboy'   
taped under it-- 'Schuldich', 'Rache', 'Ken'-- and his read 'Ghostie'   
under it in English-- 'Crawford', 'Oz, 'Fei Li', 'Nobuyuki'-- someone   
had taped that "do-not-cross" police line all over his door--   
'Nephrite/Kunzite', 'Zoicite'/'Jadaeite', 'Jei'-- which had 'Farfello'   
scratched over it, and there were tons of locks on the door-- 'Ranma',   
and finally 'Aya'. The youngest of the group blinked.  
  
"There's someone here with my name?"   
  
"Indeed," Nodoka smiled mysteriously, and the two girls following her   
exchanged a look between them. There was something going on here...  
  
---  
  
At that particular moment, Ranma was not even _in_ the House. He,   
dressed in a pair of black overalls, and a red t-shirt, was glaring at   
his reflection, "This isn't funny."  
  
"It's not supposed to be," came Abyssian's voice, "This is one thing   
Farfello and I agree on--"  
  
"--You have enough copies of the same outfit," Farfello finished with   
a smug look, "You need different clothes."  
  
"I have enough!" Ranma complained.  
  
"For your female form," Aya bit out, "Not for your male form."  
  
"But Ayan..." when he could see _this_ was not getting anywhere, he   
tried something else, "...Jei-sama..."  
  
"Kitty," was Farfello's warning growl, "You control the change now.   
You aren't getting away with 'but I might change!'"  
  
Ranma thought it was seriously unfair. He had control of his shape   
now-- the Ginzoushou had warped his curse. That black mist might have   
done it, but he doubt that. The smoke-like substance preferred to fix   
him, but it had never touched the curse before.  
  
It was even more unfair that Aya had surprised him at breakfast by   
announcing that he was taking Ranma to get new clothes for his male   
side. To the astonishment of the everyone present at the time, Jei had   
agreed.  
  
Of course, he had also said that he would be accompanying them. So   
here they were, two men who would gladly fight each other until they   
bled to death, forcing him into new clothing. It wasn't fair!  
  
"Life's not fair," Aya responded.  
  
"I said that out loud?"  
  
Jei grinned, "Yes."  
  
One of the salesladies hesitantly came closer. Jei's fearsome visage   
had terrified them; so many scars... they littered his face! The   
epitome of bad luck-- and he even had to wear an eyepatch.   
  
"Si-si--sir? W-w-will yo-you be bu-bu-buying tha-that outfit?"  
  
"No," Ranma grumped, "I hate it. C'mon Ayan, Jei-sama! I look like a   
little kid!"  
  
The saleslady had skittered away at his outburst, and he glowered   
evilly at his reflection, then at his two 'supervisors'.   
  
By the time they had left, Ranma had two sweaters, three pairs of   
jeans, and three t-shirts. He had refused everything else.  
  
As pay back, Ranma had shifted to his female form, and forced them to   
carry 'her' bags. Neither Farfello nor Aya were all to pleased with   
that, but they got stuck with it, as the redhead had pouted at them.  
  
Both men were feeling a bit antsy, and definitely... strange, was the   
best way to put it, as they walked back to the House. They had not   
fought _all_ _day_! Freaky.  
  
They decided to remedy that by tripping each other up as they walked.   
It was an odd scene to come across, no doubt. Two 'grown' men   
childishly tripping one another, then racing to catch up with a pretty   
redhead in Chinese silks.  
  
Ranma-onna grinned to herself. This seemed so much like that water   
fight they had prior to killing Muu Tsu and Khu Lon-- minus the water,   
and the fact that it had been at night. Ah... memories...  
  
---  
  
The Sailor Senshi gathered, nervousness filling them. They were losing   
numbers far to quickly for their tastes. Saturn had vanished sometime   
during the night.  
  
So Usagi, Minako, Rei, Haruka and Michiru had come to meet in front of   
the arcade. Naru had plead fatigue so as not to come; apparently, she   
and her mysterious boyfriend had gone out on a double date with a few   
outside-the-Senshi-friends, and had been up pretty late.  
  
Haruka did not like it that Naru had friends outside the Senshi. It   
was not right; outside-friends meant Charon's devotion was not solely   
to their princess-- but she failed to mention it out loud. The   
Princess would have gotten pissed off at her.  
  
They were so worried; Jupiter and Mercury missing, and presumed   
captives of Amun-Ra, Saturn and Pluto both missing without reason,   
Apollo converted to Bastet, and Charon mess over losing her best   
friend. Things were not looking to hot for them. They needed an ace in   
the hole. They needed--  
  
"Would you two stop acting like little kids?"  
  
--Horus to show up in civies to chastise Osiris, Bastet and Ptah? The   
three mentioned were also wearing civies, not to mention carrying   
bags.  
  
The Senshi did a double take, creeping closer to listen in on their   
enemies. Maybe they would find something useful!  
  
Unfortunately, Ranma-- or 'Bastet' to them-- had sensed the group of   
eavesdroppers. She tilted her head in their direction, flicking her   
eyes to them, in a subtle motion that only 'Horus' saw, "Oh, take that   
stick out of your ass, 'Rus. Pahn and Cyrus were just having some   
fun..."  
  
Aya and Jei gave her confused looks, and she whispered, "Senshi" as   
Yohji responded, "Tripping each other? Xue Shi, that's a childish   
game, not having 'fun'."  
  
"Hey, you said it, 'Rus. It's a _game_ and therefore, _fun_."  
  
"Anyone ever tell you that you have some twisted logic?"  
  
"I-chan used to..." Bastet actually appeared to be upset, "But then   
she had to turn out _not_ to be Isis-chan but an enemy..."  
  
The Senshi got the feeling that had she the ears of the animals she   
patroned, they would be dropping with depression. Maybe the reason   
that they _had not_ been attacked recently was because the enemy was   
having personal problems?   
  
No, that could not be it, as Bastet had shaken off the depression far   
to quickly for it to have been a real problem, "Any ways, why'd you   
come here, 'Rus?"  
  
'Rus sighed, "Visitors and what not. Actually, I was, and I quote   
this, told to "Find Ay--Cyrus and Xue Shi, and drag them home". Our   
lovely friend Lady Raven decided to pay a visit."  
  
"So why's she looking for us redheads?" wondered Ranma-onna, finally   
cluing Aya and Jei in on whose name was whose.  
  
The Senshi crept even closer. Who was this... "Lady Raven"? Isis had   
to have been Charon in disguise-- she had said something about that   
before, hadn't she?-- but Lady Raven was an unknown.  
  
Yohji gave his friend/rival/whatever the hell she was, an odd look,   
"Isn't it obvious, she wants to talk to you!"  
  
"Sometimes, 'Rus, you can be such an idiot."  
  
"Who are you trying to kid?" 'Pahn' interrupted, "Ku--'Rus is always   
an idiot."  
  
Haruka and Michiru exchanged significant looks. That was the second   
time they had been about to say something else. What were they going   
to say, though? Their real names? Did that mean that 'Cyrus' and 'Rus'   
were fake names? The quartet of 'evil-doers' moved off, Cyrus making   
some snide comment about the pot calling the kettle black, to Pahn.   
The white haired man glowered at him, and Cyrus returned it full   
force.  
  
The five Senshi ran after them, but once the four had turned a corner,   
they were gone. If the Senshi had done one of two things, they would   
have found the quartet. They could have looked up, and seen the four   
roof hopping away.  
  
Or, they could have listened to the whispers of the crowd, which would   
have caused them to look up, any ways. However, they did neither,   
automatically assuming that the 'enemy' had teleported away.  
  
So the meeting was brought back to Hikawa Jinga in order to think on   
this new development.   
  
Who, praytell, was Lady Raven?  
  
---  
  
End Chapter  
  
No, I'm not mentally unbalanced. Why do you ask?  
  
Oh, and a very special treat, a ficlet by Mei Neko! And yes, I _know_   
it's nearing Christmas, but c'mon! This Halloween ficlet is cool   
^_______^  
  
---  
The Halloween Ficlet  
---  
  
"You got to be kidding me..." Oz muttered as he stared at himself.   
How did he get into this mess agian? Oh yeah, a certain pyscopath   
threaten to lock him in his animal form. And why did this certain   
psycopath wanted to do this? Oh right! Sibling bonding and free   
candy. And how the hell are they going to be able to pull this off?   
He really did not want to find out.   
  
A knock and the sound ofthe door being slammed open caught the poor   
guy's attention. Standing there was a girl with long black hair   
wearing a costume taht made her look like Vampire Hunter D. She gave   
a grin and chuckled.   
  
"Man, I knew the costume I picked out for you was awesome! Hey,   
Aya-chan! Look at Oz man! Or should we say Robin!" Vampire Hunter D   
cried out in glee.   
  
A Tomoyo from CCS came in with her camera and giggled. She was   
recording the whole thing.   
  
"You both look so cool!" Aya said cheerfully. Oz gave a sour look at   
that.   
  
"How come I have to be Robin? Why does Crawford get to be Batman?" Oz   
asked glaring at the two.   
  
"Because we all know that Batman hasn't been getting any for the   
longest time and that's the same as Brad. Brad can stay in   
character." was the answer from the taller girl.   
  
"Oneechan! Why?! Why the hell am I dressed like this?"  
  
Oz looked past the two girls and turned away to prevent himself from   
laughing his ass off at the sight. He so did not want ot be dead.   
  
"Because you look so cute! Plus, your boyfriends like it very much!"   
Yuki said grinning as she bounced around her little sibling.   
  
Ranma was wearing the outfit for Hikaru in Angelic Layer. Yuki   
thought it looked cute. Jei-sama liked it. Aya-kun was trying to pry   
his eyes off. Most of the straight males were trying not to drool.   
Aya-chan was recording this. Yuki was going to pay for   
this...someday.  
  
"But of course we have someone to acompany you on this! Look at the   
lovely looking Naru! You look awesome as Blanche! White looks good   
on you!" Yuki cheered. Naru gave a smile. At least her costume   
wasn't as tight fitting as Ranma's. Besides, she only wanted one guy   
to drool all over her...  
  
"Yeah! Naru looks good! Jei-sama looks good! Ken looks good! Hell!   
Even playboy looks better then me!" Ranma ranted. Aya-chan looked   
around to see a Captin Hook, Farelleo, grinning and waving his fake   
hook. Ken was blushing and trying ot keep Schudlich's hands off him   
since he was wearing a Green Arrow costume. As for Yohji, Naru picked   
out a Gambit costume. It fit his character quite well.   
  
"You're right, Yohji does look good in his costume. But then, look at   
Ran! He's wearing that lovely kimono...really Aya, I still think we   
should have made him wear the school girl uniform. He really would   
look like an awesome Ryoko!" (Real Bout High) Yuki whinned. Aya gave   
a giggled.  
  
"But I don't like the idea of my brother getting hit on more then me!"   
Aya teased while Yuki grumbled something that sounded like 'that was   
the whole point of it...'  
  
Ran gave a really nasty glare at Yuki. It was her fault for this   
whole thing. Her fault that he was dressed in a kimono like Yuki from   
Furit Basket. He swore that after this was through, he would go after   
those manga artists.  
  
"Well, well, well...I guess we should hurry this up...Crawman and   
Nagikins are getting a tad bit annoyed with us." Schudlich, dressed as   
Hiro of Gravitation, gave a big grin. The Batman and Nightwing were   
glaring at him. "Really Yuki, why did you give Oz the Robin costume?   
I would think that Nagi should have taken it."  
  
"Beats me...they only have a Nightwing costume for Nagi's size.   
Besides, at least Nobu gets to have some fun as Vadar! Of course Fei   
man is our wonderful Wufei of Gundam Wing! WAHAHAHAHA!!!" Yuki said   
laughing and rollling on the ground.   
  
"Damn you Omi! How the hell did he get out of this?" Nagi growled.   
Ranma glared at Yuki.  
  
"Omi gave her a credit card that she could use without paying a single   
bill. And Nabiki got her tons of candy." Ranma snarled. Yuki looked   
up and had a rather hurt face.   
  
"Really, my own brother thinks that I would let candy take over me! I   
made her do the Chicken dance before she gave me candy." Yuki said.   
  
"What! Do you got that on record?" Ranma asked. Yuki gave a nod.   
  
"Emailed it out to everyone as a virus. It'll take a while for her to   
fix it. Anyway, let's go and get some candy! Halloween is the nest   
holiday of the year...with the exception to Christmas...and   
Thanksgiving...and..."  
  
"YUKI, SHUT UP!!!!!"  
  
---  
  
That was from the ever wonderful Mei Neko.  
  
You guys can send me ficlets too. Email's jutsu@3web.net ^_____^ 


	21. Snowballing

Kyra - Well, if you're still wondering about Ken and Oz's relationship,   
no worries; that gets explained soon enough. *grins* They have their   
own book, dealing with how and why they know each other (and why Ken is   
trying to avoid being caught alone with Oz)  
  
Well, of course Yuki is really psychotic, Ran-- she's like a female   
version of Farfello ^____^ Besides, you haven't seen the little AU   
ficlets Mei Neko was working on. I'm planning on putting them up on the   
site, but I didn't really want to put them up before everyone found out   
who Yuki was, because they had some pretty major spoilers. ^-^  
  
Beth - Patience my childe, everything will make sense... in the third   
book, in other words.  
  
  
  
True Identity  
Chapter Twenty - Snowballing  
Li Xiang  
  
  
  
When they returned to the House, they found themselves entering an   
unknown environment. Ranma's ki senses tingled as he-- he had shifted   
back during their travel across the rooftops-- sensed an overflow of   
power. It was not the familiar hum of ki, but the odd pulse and ebb of   
powerful magic. An unfamiliar ki signature was woven into the mana, but   
it was not a negative signature.  
  
He soon understood "why" as when he pushed open the door, the quartet   
found themselves in halls of gleaming metal, each plate of it only a   
few inches wide, and a few inches tall, and all were a different color.   
It looked like some strange mixture of a scientific government   
laboratory, and an ancient, European castle.  
  
And it almost _sung_ with the unfamiliar swirl of mana and ki.  
  
Apparently, the entire building had been sound proofed, as once they   
had stepped inside, the sound of certain band's playing was _very_   
loud.  
  
"They having a party, or something?" Ranma wondered aloud. The other   
two shrugged, while Yohji frowned slightly.  
  
"I guess one of Nodoka's guests is a Sorceress."  
  
"Guests? What guests?"  
  
"Didn't I mention that?" Yohji pondered with an innocent grin, before   
pushing the trio down the hall, "C'mon, let's find out what in the   
world is going on."  
  
As they came closer, a horribly flat and cracking female voice came   
into hearing. Being the professional singer that he was, Ranma winced   
at each wrong note, which was most of them-- and then he realized it   
was one of _his_ songs. An ever-so-slight shift, and Xue Shi stood   
there, ready to kill whoever was mangling "Points of Authority".   
  
Yohji and Aya barely restrained her, being dragged down the hall to the   
living room by the snarling redhead, while Jei padded along behind   
them, snickering.  
  
Ranma-onna _kicked_ the door open, and the music and singing came to an   
abrupt halt as she _glared_ at the them, "Who the _hell_ was   
screeching?!"  
  
"You weren't kidding when you said she was high-strung," mumbled an   
ebony haired, brown eyes nineteen year old, to a less-than-impressed   
Nodoka. The older woman crossed her arms angrily, turning her "unless   
you do as I say I'll force you to commit seppuku" glare on her   
son-turned-daughter.  
  
"Saotome Ranma, that was uncalled for!"  
  
"But mom," whined the girl, "They were mangling my song!"  
  
"I couldn't care if they were strangling your favorite pet! Apologize   
for calling your sister's singing 'screeching'!"  
  
There was approximately thirty seconds of pure silence, before Ranma,   
Yohji, Aya and Jei shouted, "Sister?!"  
  
"Yes," Nodoka had produced a handkerchief from somewhere, and was   
dabbing at her eyes, "Oh, how said it was! Not even out of the hospital   
yet, and already sold by your father!" she sniffled, "I thought my   
darling little Yuki-chan had been kidnaped, and I spent three years in   
depression!"  
  
She had leapt to her feet at some point, gathering her currently female   
son into her arms, "But then, my Little Ranma-chan came into my life! I   
was happy! I tried, once again, to search for Yuki, but alas... she was   
gone, gone from Japan!"  
  
Everyone in the room, minus Yuki, Ranma and Farfello, wondered if   
instability was genetic. It sure seemed like it, the way Nodoka was   
acting. Yuki was bobbing her head in confirmation of the story,   
although her eyes kept moving to the entrance of the kitchen.  
  
No one noticed.  
  
"Then, you too, were gone, my son! Depression clouded in and it was   
horrible, oh so horrible! But what was this? Several years had gone by,   
and I heard about someone who matched my own teenaged description--   
minus hair color-- and I knew! I knew Yuki was still alive! I--"  
  
"Are you telling that sob story again, Saotome-san?"  
  
Everything screeched a halt, eyes snapping to the slight form standing   
in the kitchen-side entrance to the room. While everyone _else_ froze,   
Yuki had leapt forwards, hugging the girl.  
  
"Aya-chan! Well, did you walk all the way, or did you have to rest? I   
know you were in the coma for a long time but--"  
  
"Aya-chan...?"  
  
The whisper caught even the bubbly Yuki's attention. Heads turned to   
watch the redheaded Abyssian take a few steps closer, to get a better   
look. Aya-chan's eyes grew wide.  
  
"Ran-niichan!" she flew across the room, only stumbling once, and   
grabbed the older male in a somewhat weak bear-hug. Automatically, his   
arms came up, clasping her in a warm embrace.  
  
After a few moments, the elder Fujimiya withdrew, "How...? When did you   
wake up?"   
  
"A few days ago," a suddenly serious Yuki offered, "Only after I got   
her out of Kritiker's crack-pot idea of a hospital, and she needed a   
week to flush the drugs out of her system."  
  
"What?" Ran's whisper was icy, lethal in its' intensity.   
  
Yuki crossed her arms, cold brown eyes meeting frosty violet over the   
sixteen year old's head, "You heard me. Kritiker-- Manx in particular--   
was pumping Aya-chan full of narcotics to keep her under. I rescued   
her, and had to let the majority of the drugs come out naturally," her   
lips quirked, "Then I starting casting all the healing spells I knew.   
One can never be to sure what needs to be healed."  
  
"She's telling the truth, Ran," Aya-chan whispered. A covert glance to   
Schuldich rewarded him with a nod. Everything checked out.  
  
Now, Kritiker needed pay back. How dare they try to force Aya-chan to   
remain unconscious! The institution would understand what is means to   
have Abyssian-- no, can't use that code name anymore-- to have _Osiris_   
as their enemy. They wouldn't know what hit them.  
  
After all, their last trump card was awake. She was with him, and   
Osiris was not about to let her go again.  
  
---  
  
Yuki grinned evilly.  
  
She _loved_ mornings.  
  
Especially the morning after a party where booze was present. Hey, she   
had been raised in America, booze was an essential part of the American   
life style. And not sake either, but good, hard liquor. She was pretty   
sure that was the best reason to live in the United States.  
  
Well, that and the fact that guns were legal. Stupid Japanese gun laws.  
  
Any ways, back to the fact that it was morning. A sunny, cheerful,   
brilliant blue-sky type morning, where the birds sung, the cherry tree   
Omi had planted on the roof for some unfeasible reason, and God was   
happy-go-lucky, because his two most prominent advocates that he needed   
to be kicked off his celestial thrown were asleep.  
  
With hangovers.  
  
Oh, sure, Yuki was positive Jei could hold his liquor-- he _was_ Irish,   
and they had some good brew up there-- but Ranma was Japanese. A   
Japanese who _rarely_ drank rice wine. Therefore, he would have a   
hangover today. And therefore, Farfello would want to stay with his   
pet.  
  
It was one of those "daimyo" things, Yuki supposed, remembering what   
her mother had told her.  
  
In any case, she had heard movement-- rapid movement-- a few minutes   
ago. Movement that went from Ranma's room to the lavatory. Ouuuuuu,   
this would be _fun_.  
  
Yuki pressed a quick kiss to Aya-chan's forehead, quietly passing on   
one of her pain-killer spells to help with the sixteen year old's own   
soon to be hangover headache. She would brew up some hangover cure   
potions later. Right now, she had something better to do, and breezed   
through the House, heedless of the fact that she was wearing little   
more than her bra, panties, and a white bath robe that hung open.  
  
When you are insane, you don't give a _damn_ about modesty.  
  
Ranma was leaning over the toilet, obvious wishing he had not gotten a   
hair cut, if only so that he did not have to hold his hair out of his   
face.  
  
"Hey-ya Ranma!"  
  
He winced, then sent her a scathing glare. She smirked at his hang-over   
pains, "What do you want, Yuki?"  
  
She ignored his question, padding over to his side, all the while   
smiling sweetly, "What are you doing?"  
  
"What does it look like?!" he snapped, before whirling back to the   
toilet and purging his stomach once more, "Man... how much did I drink   
last night...?"  
  
His sister shrugged, "Beats me, although I do recall you falling flat   
on your face in the middle of a poor attempt to sing your own songs. I   
think it was somewhere between my fifth bottle of whiskey, and those   
shots of vodka Jei was randomly handing out."  
  
The younger Saotome wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, then   
leaned forwards to press his forehead into the cool porcelain, "How the   
hell are you so... so... non-hang-over-like!" he finally growled,   
annoyed at not having been able to find a suitable word. Not like it   
was a first with Ranma.  
  
"You forget, my dear brother, that _I_ am a Sorceress!" she shot him a   
sly grin, "So... how does it feel to have a hang-over?"  
  
"...I'm going to keel over from the pain in my skull and you're   
happy-go-lucky?!" This was completely not fair. If it was not for the   
said pain in his skull, Ranma was sure he would have creamed his evil,   
evil, evil Sorceress Sister for making light of his agony! He took a   
second to blink in confusion. Greeeeat, I sound like Kunou when I have   
a hang-over. Just for good measure, he smacked his head solidly against   
the toilet, then moaned with pain. That had been a stupid idea.  
  
"Does the little baby want his Sissy to fix his boo-boo?" cooed the   
Sorceress, gleefully patting his head, and ignoring the vicious glare   
she was getting in return. This was just to much fun!  
  
"Give me your damned cure, and give it to Jei-sama, too!"  
  
A nasty little gleam entered the Sorceress' eyes, and she grabbed her   
brother's hair to yank his face up to meet hers, "Under one condition,   
dearest brother of mine," she licked her lips, the nasty gleam turning   
to a down right sadistic glow.   
  
"And what," he growled, already knowing he would refuse if she said   
some dumbass thing like sleeping with _his_ Jei-sama, or with his Ayan.   
His master and his best friend were officially off limits to everyone,   
and Ranma would go beyond his normal level of violence to keep it that   
way, "condition is that, oh beloved elder sister?" his voice was   
perfectly sarcastic, too.  
  
Her lips curled into a smirk, and her chocolate eyes danced gleefully,   
"Why, brother-dear! I didn't know you cared so much! And since you   
do... this should be quite a simple task. I want in."  
  
"'In'?" he quoted in confusion, "'In' on what?"  
  
"In on your little game," her smirk widened, "I want to play with the   
Sailor Senshi, myself. I want to feel the blood of those wanna-be   
witches splashing over my hands. I want to show them what a _real_   
Sorceress can do!"  
  
"We've got Rache to do that," Ranma rolled his eyes, then winced. Was   
there anything he could do without making his headache worse? Smacking   
his head against the john really had not helped all that much; only   
made it worse.  
  
"Well, if you want to keep that hang-over of yours..." she started to   
get up, although she did not release her brother's hair.  
  
"No! Wait!" he barked, "If the rest of the group says you can join, you   
can. Just give me that damned cure already!"  
  
But Yuki was not listening. She had let go of his hair to do a victory   
dance around the bathroom, leaving him to plant his face into the   
floor. It's official, he decided. I've known her for less than twenty   
four hours. I'd like to go back to being an only child.  
  
---  
  
Their target was the eldest, the most mysterious, the most   
_frustratingly_ hard to track down Senshi. Sailor Pluto.  
  
They were positive she would come out of hiding, now. Half her team was   
missing, there was no way she could have missed that. None   
what-so-ever.  
  
They attacked in a flurry that week. Monsters fell left and right, but   
no Sailor Pluto. The mystery Senshi refused to show.  
  
Yuki was getting annoyed. She wanted to fight the Senshi!  
  
However, the plan had been explained-- repeatedly-- and she had to   
wait. She was not allowed to appear unless Pluto was around. She was to   
be Pluto's "opposite".  
  
The Senshi were struggling against the sea snake that Horus had sent,   
and the tincha Bastet had gleefully set upon them.  
  
Moon, Mars, Venus and Uranus were taking on the snake, leaving Charon   
and Neptune to deal with the Tincha. Charon was desperate for ways to   
prolong the fight without seeming like she was, as she bungled one   
attack after another.  
  
Where the _hell_ was that damned--  
  
"Dead Scream."  
  
There she was! Yuki crowed mentally at the whispered attack of the   
guardian of time. She crept closer to the scene of the battle, as the   
Senshi of time's attack hit the snake, at the same time Venus' and   
Uranus' own attacks hit.  
  
The snake exploded into dust from an overload of power.  
  
Sailor Pluto had arrived.  
  
---  
  
End Chapter  
  
Ah, cliff hangers, how I love to write thee. 


	22. Twice

*eyeing her neighbor, who has apparently decided that coming over to   
Li's house at _six'_in_the_f'in_morning_ is a good idea* I swear, my   
parents are going to kill me. Good thing I was awake when Itch showed   
up knocking. *groans* I hate life sometimes. She's on my couch,   
rambling on about the evils of the christmas carols we had to suffer   
through over the past week. I think I'll distract her with a videogame.  
  
In other news, I'm on my Christmas Vacation. Yay me! Prezzies! *does a   
happy dance* To quote some fic I read somewhere, "You can't win me over   
with apologies, but prezzies will work".   
  
Stratagemini - Don't know. I'll have to ask Mei Neko, since she's the   
one who originally designed Yuki.  
  
  
  
True Identity  
Chapter Twenty-One : Twice  
Li Xiang  
  
  
  
"It's about time," Bastet grumbled to Horus, "Listening to Yuki bitch   
is a pain in the ass!"   
  
"She's your sister," Horus pointed out helpfully.  
  
"Yeah, well, she's Aya-chan's girlfriend. Why can't she bitch to her?"  
  
"Both of you, shut up," Osiris hissed from where he stood in the   
shadows. He truly, truly, _truly_ hated being reminded that his sister   
had somehow managed to fall for a sociopathic woman.  
  
The trio returned their attention back to the 'battle' as Charon and   
Neptune finally did away with the tin-cha. Pluto took a menacing step   
forward, "You have endangered Crystal Tokyo for the last time!"  
  
"What the _hell_ is Crystal Tokyo?" pondered Horus, and Bastet snorted.  
  
"It's where these morons rule the world, after purging it of everyone   
who doesn't agree with them."  
  
"Crystal Tokyo is a paradise!" Venus snapped back, anger coursing   
through her.  
  
My cue, Yuki thought gleefully, as she hopped out of the tree that hid   
her, landing between the two groups.   
  
She was dressed in a white as snow tube-top, an equally white scarf   
tied around her neck, the ends draping down her front to flutter at her   
knees. It was knotted at her navel to keep the parts from getting in   
the way of her arms. A mid-thigh length skirt of lace floated about her   
legs, revealing a white bikini bottom. Silver bands wrapped around her   
upper arms, her shins, and her thighs, her feet clad in white   
flat-footed ankle-boots, while white braces wrapped around her wrists.  
  
Her black hair had been swept up into a ponytail atop her head, and   
tied with a white ribbon, a pair of silver bells dangling from the   
ends. She looked the epitome of goodness.  
  
"Now then," Yuki managed to sound both sane and regal, shock of all   
shocks, "What is this silly little argument about?"  
  
"She's so pretty," Venus whispered, and Moon clapped happily.  
  
"She's wearing white! She _must_ be a good guy!"  
  
Bastet stepped forward, looking annoyed, "Oh great, come to spoil our   
fun?"  
  
"I merely wish to know what is going on, Bastet," Okay, so she wanted   
to cause a little bloodshed, too... she caught Ptah's eye, and the man   
slipped out of the shadows, behind Uranus. The blonde outer did not   
notice.   
  
Moon drew herself up, pointing to her enemies, "They're trying to   
destroy the paradise that we'll create!"  
  
"Paradise?" mused Yuki, "There is no such thing. To live, one must   
suffer; Doctor Victor Frankl."  
  
Horus, Bastet and Osiris turned curious eyes on Saotome's older sister.   
Horus scratched his head, "You can quote people?"  
  
"Anyone can quote," Uranus bit out, glaring evilly at him, "So... we   
going to fight now?"  
  
Yuki gave a sharp nod of the head, and the sky Senshi shifted, about to   
launch herself at the Egyptian Deities. However, she did not get very   
far-- for a scream of pain ripped from her throat as Ptah twisted her   
arms up behind her, and broke them. He laughed joyously.  
  
"Uranus!" Neptune shrieked, and made a dash for her lover, but a spell   
froze her in place. Yuki looked on with a sadistic grin.  
  
"Whoops. Did _I_ do that?"  
  
"HA-HA!" crowed Bastet, "Time to have some fun, ne Isis?"  
  
"Indeed, little sister," Isis licked her lips, "I think it's long past   
due time."  
  
The white garbed 'deity' launched herself at Pluto, her own magic   
forcing the seer Senshi to remain trapped on the mortal plane. There   
would be no mistakes, she thought, catching the key as Pluto swung it.   
By the Senshi's shocked look, she doubted Pluto had thought Isis   
capable of catching the attack. Foolish woman.  
  
Bastet had made for Moon, Osiris took on Venus and the Wink Sword,   
while Horus attacked Mars. Ptah had leg Uranus away, even as the Outer   
Senshi's magic had begun to heal her arms.  
  
Charon melted back, no one noticing, while Neptune looked on helplessly   
from where she'd been frozen.  
  
The being known as Rache flitted through the trees after Farfello and   
Haruka, silently tugging the part of her that was Saturn to the fore   
front. Dark magic thrummed through her veins, boosting her speed and   
endurance.  
  
There! A flash of white hair and seifuku. Farfello and Haruka. Rache   
settled silently in place, watching the battle, and she frowned. Jei   
would not... oh, he probably would, she groaned.   
  
"Irish!"  
  
Uranus looked up at Charon's voice. The grey Senshi was crouched in a   
tree, holding-- dear gods above! Charon was holding the Silence Glaive!   
Where in the world had she gotten it?!   
  
Ptah, too, had looked up with a scowl, "What?"  
  
"Bleed her, don't kill her," Charon snapped, "Kitty wants her power,   
remember?"  
  
"Charon!?"  
  
"Rache," the girl corrected, "or Saturn, or Hotaru. Doesn't matter. I'm   
all of them, 'Haruka-papa'." the twist on the words made it seem a   
curse.  
  
Uranus glared at her, "You're not my daughter! You're a traitor!"  
  
"How can I be a traitor when I was never on your side?" wondered the   
redhead, staring down at her. Haruka had been a large part of her   
hatred of the Senshi. The blond woman had made her life hell when she   
had tried to remain friends with Usagi.   
  
Rache's lips quirked up as Jei reminded Uranus who her enemy was-- him.   
He rammed his knife into her lower back with a gleeful cackle. Oh, oh   
this would be _fun_.  
  
Emotionless green and violet eyes watched Uranus' torture, watching a   
person that a part of her called 'papa', bleed to death.  
  
---  
  
Bastet spat angrily as she hauled herself back to her feet. Beside her,   
Horus and Osiris drew themselves up, glaring. Neptune, Moon, Mars, and   
Venus had made their escape in a brilliant flare of power from the   
Ginzoushou.  
  
The sounds of cursing drew their attention to where Yuki and Pluto were   
duking it out. Bastet whistled lowly, "Wow, Yuki's good."  
  
"Maybe it's in your family," mused Horus, before being smacked upside   
the head. Ranma _glared_ at him.  
  
"I _trained_ and trained _hard_ to get my skill, moron!"  
  
"Okay, okay, I get it!"  
  
/If you're done, you should probably see to Farf and Uranus./  
  
They jumped, surprised at Schuldich's entrance into their thoughts.   
After a moment they all nodded, and soon enough they had ran off in the   
direction that the aforementioned pair had gone. Schuldich retreated   
from their minds to go back to his normal hobby. Ken-chasing.  
  
Bastet cheered mightily when they entered the clearing where Uranus lay   
bleeding to death. The blond was laid out on the ground, sobbing from   
the pain. Charon stood over her with an odd grin on her face, obviously   
pleased with the "Strongest" Senshi broken on the ground.  
  
Uranus was missing one arm, and the other lay at an odd angle to her   
body. Her fuku was in shreds, hanging from her abused frame.  
  
Farfello was gleefully stabbing her in the stomach, over and over   
again.  
  
Uranus' head lolled to the side, hazy, tear reddened eyes stared at the   
encroaching enemy. She found no sympathy, no regret, in the icy violet,   
hard green, or shining blue gazes that peered back at her.  
  
I'm dead, a distant part of her mind seemed to say with childish   
wonder.  
  
"Farfello," Horus greeted the man who had scared him by inclining his   
head.  
  
"Balinese," the man pointedly ignored Osiris, "Come here, my Kitty."  
  
Bastet bounced over to her master's side, nuzzling and nipping the side   
of his neck playfully, before turning to the Senshi beneath him. Laying   
her hand between Uranus' breasts, she smiled.  
  
"I bet you want to know what we 'came here' for."  
  
The blonde gave a shaky nod, and Ranma's eyes twinkled.  
  
"That's very simple. We were hired to kill you," to Uranus' shocked   
expression, Ranma let an exultant smile cross her lips.  
  
"Happo Go ensatsu revised: Spirit Obliteration!"  
  
---  
  
Back with Yuki, Pluto found herself hard pressed. She hadn't had a   
purely physical battle with anyone in centuries-- millennia, even!=-=   
and Yuki was no slouch.  
  
Like her brother, the raven haired assassin, code named Kitsune, had   
been trained since walking to fight. Unlike Ranma, Yuki had also been   
trained to kill that entire length of time.  
  
Still, both were well matched-- Yuki's nineteen years of training   
verus' Pluto's millennia of the same, was a surprisingly even match.   
After all, fighting _against_ someone with the intent to kill, was a   
completely different game than merely beating on inanimate objects. Had   
they _been_ the same, one Tendou Akane wouldn't be in a coma in the   
hospital at that particular moment.  
  
Then Yuki got a lucky break, smacking a pressure point on each of   
Pluto's wrists in quick succession. Her hands spasmed, and the key fell   
from temporarily nerveless fingers, leaving Pluto weaponless.  
  
"Shit!"  
  
The Senshi dove for her weapon, completely forgetting Yuki's presence.   
Stupid mistake, the ruby-eyed woman berated herself upon catching the   
assassin's boot with her ribs. There had been enough force behind the   
kick to break two of them.  
  
"Ah-ah-ah," tutted Yuki, who scooped the key-shaped staff up, before   
hurling it towards the trees, several meters away. Ruthless   
determination glinted behind umber irises. (What color are her eyes   
again?)  
  
Flipping to her feet, Pluto touched a hand to her ribs, hissing. Well   
now, this was not good. Her injuries were _not_ healing as quick as   
they should be. This would go downhill; she had come to depend on her   
staff's presence when she fought.  
  
Meiou Setsuna ignored that, however. She hurtled herself back at Yuki,   
hoping her 'superior speed' would keep her out of trouble until the   
other Senshi could arrive and save her ass. However, she did not _have_   
superior speed, or at least, it was not so superior that Yuki did not   
land any hits.  
  
Having been knocked around by that bloody key, Yuki had expected   
Setsuna's punches to have strength. They probably would have, had the   
woman not been telegraphing all her moves. Must be all the posturing   
and posing that they do, 'Isis' thought cheerfully.   
  
While she loved a challenge, she was also getting hungry. The Saotome   
Stomach was pretty much the only thing she had inherited from Genma   
aside from hair color. With food on her mind, the eldest Saotome child   
shot into action.  
  
First, duck under Pluto's punch. Jab the Senshi in the stomach, and   
sweep her legs out from under her.  
  
Second, glare as Pluto does a hand-less flip back onto her feet.  
  
Third, get own feet knocked out, but catch Setsuna's leg between   
ankles. Throw Pluto and roll onto feet. [1]  
  
Fourth, stomp Pluto in the stomach, hard.  
  
Fifth, when the idiot does not give up on struggling, press heel into   
throat, and watch her suffocate gleefully.  
  
Sixth, find self flying through the air, confused. Look and see Pluto   
staggering to her feet.  
  
Seventh...  
  
...Get pissed off and cheat. Yuki threw a handful of dirt into Pluto's   
face, and promptly summoned a blade from the air. The diamond sword--   
made of compressed carbon molecules-- would not last long, but it would   
last long enough for her tastes.  
  
"Bai-bai, P-san!"  
  
Just as she got the dirt from her eyes, Pluto felt Yuki's blade sink   
home-- splitting her diagonally from shoulder to hip.  
  
---  
  
End Chapter  
  
I think this is a good place to stop. *grin*  
  
[1] I've done this. It was a few years ago, but I have done it. Devon   
was not a happy man when he met Mister Pine Tree. 


	23. Problems

Ambariel - New Chapter coming right up! Yeah, those fics were everyone   
gets all angsty over killing the senshi, and revenge is bad and such...   
Feh. Give me dark, psychopathic fics over those any day.   
  
I know it was a bit unbelieveable that Pluto would fight without her   
Time magic, Adyen, but if you look at it this way... she sees Yuki as   
someone beneath her. That Yuki managed to cut off her teleportation   
ability only served to infuriate her that this lower being was   
attempting to force her to do something she didn't want to. Solution?   
Prove that she can beat Yuki on Yuki's level, then kick her ass with   
Time magic.  
  
I know exactly where the series is going, right up to the fourth book   
(yes, there is a third and forth book ^___^). Much fun, and much   
strangeness and insanity. Just like every other part of it, ne?  
  
  
True Identity  
Chapter Twenty two: Problems  
Li Xiang  
  
  
  
Yuki watched, with mute facination, as a ball of light flew up from the   
two pieces of Pluto's body. The corpse had collapsed, leeching blood   
into the soil. Her lip quirked a bit, eyes trained on the glowing spot,   
"Well, there'll be a nice green patch here."  
  
The ball of light began to hum, flashing brightly, and Yuki shielded   
her eyes in surprise.  
  
Then... it was gone. She blinked a few times, confused, before   
shrugging it off. Probably didn't matter.  
  
Cheerfully, she skipped away from the murder scene, in the direction   
her baby brother had gone. Behind her, Pluto's body ignited into neon   
green flames, burning the corpse into ashes.  
  
---  
  
"Two senshi in one night!"  
  
Laughter flooded out of the House, as the occupants cheered and   
celebrated. Well, Fei Li, Nobuyuki, Aya-chan and Crawford weren't   
celebrating. The first three didn't understand why their friends-- and   
family-- were celebrating a successful murder.  
  
Bradley, on the other hand, had apparently come down with something,   
and was locked up in his room.  
  
There was no alcohol at _this_ party, though. Ran had locked it all up,   
stating that it was far the celebration of finishing the job that had   
already taken up over a month of their time.  
  
They'd all be glad when they could return to what passed as 'normal'   
for them.  
  
Certain figures were noticibly absent from the party, aside from the   
first four mentioned. Nephrite, Jadaeite, and Zoicite were...   
somewhere. Most likely with Xian Phu, Omi and Nabiki, as the three   
formerly 'dead' men had offered their services to the fledgling   
Sorceress. Kunzite was off running errands for Bradley, as usual.  
  
No one really _knew_ what Kunzite did, excluding Kunzite and Crawford,   
so they called it "running errands".  
  
"Here, here!" cheered Yuki, "Only four of those silly wanna-be   
Sorceresses left!"  
  
They were spread about the House's living room, relaxing. The biggest   
reason they were celebrating was that Pluto was no longer a problem.   
The Guardian of Time would be incapable of ruining everything, now.   
Being dead generally did that.  
  
After nearly two hours, the group had come off their high, and were   
settled in for a conversation of utmost importance.  
  
"There are two major problems right now," Schuldich intoned formally--   
although the image was ruined as he was wrapped around a   
unhappy-and-struggling-to-get-free Ken. Ranma raised an eyebrow.  
  
"And what problems would those be, oh Almighty telepath?"   
  
"Smartass," he muttered with a grin, "First and foremost-- Kritiker.   
What the hell are we going to do about them?"  
  
Ran had started growling, violet eyes flashing dangerously. He wasn't   
going to let them get away with what they'd done to his sister. Said   
sister was watching him nervously.  
  
She had no idea what was running through his mind right then, but she   
hardly doubted that it was anything good for her former "captors".  
  
"Alright," Yuki clapped with a grin, "One vote for utterly destroying   
them."  
  
"Make it two!" Ranma threw in with a wave, snuggling down against Jei's   
side. Such went the 'decision making' until everyone agreed Kritiker   
could do with being wiped out of exsistance. Now they just needed to   
figure out _how_.  
  
"We should leave that to Crawford," Nagi mused, "His visions may tell   
us what we need to know."  
  
"Good point," drawled Ken, who'd finally settled for looking petulant   
as Schuldich had pulled them both into a chair, and was acting like a   
human straight-jacket. He felt like a teddy-bear.  
  
"So what's problem number two?" pondered the younger Fujimiya, who was   
sprawlled across Yuki, on the couch.  
  
"Nabiki," at the confused looks, the male german elaborated, "She's   
getting stronger and stonger with dark magic. She wants revenge for   
what happened to Akane and Shampoo."  
  
"So she'll attack me?" Ranma frowned, crossing his arms, "Unexpectedly,   
of course. Kinda like Ryouga... hey, has anyone seen the Lost Boy?"  
  
A chorus of negatives greeted him, and he shrugged, "Eh, he's probably   
with Akari..."  
  
---  
  
The Eternally Lost Boy grunted in pain, surprised that he could even   
feel it. Had he not been trained in the Bakusei Tenketsu?  
  
Then again, it hadn't been created to withstand the various tortures of   
the Phoenix People. All he'd done was blow a hole in a wall trying to   
get out of that cave! How was he supposed to know it was Saffron's   
bedchambers?  
  
Damn, but the one time he wanted to get lost, and he couldn't! Saotome,   
this is all your fault!  
  
---  
  
"Back on topic," Yuki waved a hand, "I'd like to put this in the   
here-and-now. Tendou's power is growing faster than any Sorceress I've   
ever seen before, excluding myself. It's a damn good thing she has a   
Shield and Knight, or things could get real messy."  
  
Rache frowned, "If she's getting stonger, then how is the Kitty-cat   
supposed to beat her?"  
  
"Hey!" Ranma looked indignant, "I've killed a god, one Sorceress is   
hardly going to phase me!"  
  
"You forget that she knows all your moves," the resident telekinestic   
interjected. There was a round of nods, and Ranma sighed.  
  
"I'll deal with Nabiki _after_ we get rid of the last four senshi," he   
made a fist, and wondered, not for the first time, if he'd be capable   
of emulating the attacks of the senshi he'd absorbed and vaporized.  
  
It would be _damned_ funny to see the senshis' faces when he destoryed   
them with their comrades' powers.  
  
---  
  
Inside his room, Crawford stared up at the ceiling. He had removed his   
glasses, and was pinching the bridge of his nose in an attempt to stave   
off his pounding headache. It wasn't working, and he hadn't really   
expected it to. After all, he'd already had it for nearly four hours   
now.  
  
Approximately an hour prior, the pain had crested, no longer   
increasing, but it wasn't decreasing, either. With a bit of annoyance,   
Crawford reached out in an attempt to pull free a vision to tell him   
when it would stop hurting.  
  
To his surprise, almos the moment he did so, the pain vanished into   
nothingness. Of course, a split second later, he was left with a vision   
that had him gasping for air.  
  
That had been... intense. Whatever he was seeing, he was positive it   
was sometime down the line-- as the most prominate figure was Nabiki,   
and she looked around twenty-five or so. He couldn't really tell,   
though, as another face overlay hers.   
  
Highly... confusing.  
  
The vision also displayed an arrogant seeming Tsukiyono, and a sullen   
Nagi, locked in battle. Now that was strange. Not to mention the fact   
that Farfello was siding with Omi, and Ranma was nowhere in sight. The   
flirtaious form of Yohji had been present as well, although Crawford   
couldn't figure out for all the world why Kudou had a sniper's rifle in   
hand.   
  
He let go of the vision, to find himself standing beside his bed.   
Somehow, his glasses were on his face. Frowing, he shifted, and   
suddenly became aware that he was holding a massive, violet key.  
  
"What the..." he gaped, and then his eyes grew wider as the purple   
metal raded into simple iron, before them-- excluding that embarrsingly   
heart-shaped top that turned to gleaming silver.  
  
/You are the next guardian?/ mused an unfamiliar voice in his mind, /I   
have never been weilded by a male before. How... unsual./  
  
"What the hell?!" Crawford hissed, and the flurite orb atop the staff   
pulsed.  
  
/I am the Gates of Time, Bradley Crawford, and you have been chosen as   
the next Guardian./  
  
"This is just some bad dream." Brad mumbled to himself, "Just some   
sick, twisted, tortured dream..."  
  
---  
  
Michiru waited four days before she packed up and moved into the temple   
with Rei. It was, by that point, ever so obvious that Setsuna, Haruka   
and Hotaru would not be returning. Her heart clenched fearfully.  
  
They hadn't even taken out _one_ member of the enemy, but they had   
gotten six of the senshi... who would be next? Who would vanish in the   
middle of the night, not to be seen again?  
  
However, hope did bubble. They still had Moon. And... perhaps... if   
they could find Amun-Ra's base of operations...  
  
There was still a chance of victory. Still a chance to retrieve   
everyone that had been taken captive. She related this plan to the   
others-- and was surprised to learn that Charon had apparently thought   
the same.  
  
The redheaded Senshi had been steadily working through all the 'safe   
houses' she knew their enemy had. She was almost positive that she knew   
where Amun-Ra stayed.  
  
So the fire senshi made plans to meet the next night, in order to check   
out the last four buildings Naru had left to check.  
  
Moon would check the computer shop in Odiba.   
  
Mars would take the school in Shinjuku.  
  
Venus had the Kunou Mansion.  
  
And Neptune and Charon were to go to a certain warehouse at the edge of   
the district.  
  
---  
  
End Chapter  
  
Poor Crawford... 


	24. Display

Wow, people suddenly started reviewing in massive amounts ^___^  
  
Ah, don't worry about not reviewing before, Chibi Kitsune. *points at   
the rest of her readers* Most of these guys haven't reviewed either.   
No, nothing horrible happens to Omittchi (he's too cute!) except for   
the stuff in book four, which isn't that bad. I'll admit Nagi/Omi make   
for a cute couple, and when I started False Identity I had actually   
planed for Nagi/Omi goodness. Unfortunately, it didn't happen that way.   
In fact, I think the only two couples that came out as planned were   
SchuKen and Yohji/Rache. ^____^   
  
As for actually pairing Omi and Nabiki... I really have no idea where   
it came from. It kinda snuck up on me and forced me to put it in the   
fic.  
  
Shinigami - There's a reason Schu hasn't spilled the beans on Ken. He   
wants Ken to sleep with him, remember? Telling all of Ken's secrets   
would be a bad thing, because then Ken would never sleep with him.   
*laughs* I have reasons for the vision. Reasons that make sense when   
you realize one of my best friends is a gamefreak that can talk your   
ear off for hours about what new video game she's got. (I also have two   
friends that can hold a conversation on one page of manga,   
untranslated, for two hours straight, but that doesn't really have   
anything to do with the rest of this paragraph...)  
  
Oh, I don't hate Omittchi, he's pretty cool, actually. I just like   
messing around with people so they aren't who you thought they were.   
  
Ack, Shuo Ri! I really didn't want to picture Bradlies in a seifuku.   
It's a disturbing image. O_o;;  
  
This is Crawford, Ran. Of course he's going to be more respectful to   
the gates than Pluto. At least... as long as the Gates keeps it's   
mental mouth shut and stops annoying him ^___^ As for the Key itself,   
Nightwings, be assured that it's not going to stay a key with a heart   
if Bradley has his way.  
  
The Apprentice - Stress relief to read them? *grins* I write them to   
escape the stress of grade twelve life. Oh yes indeed, the Nabiki/Ranma   
battle will be fun... *mutters* Just as soon as Nabiki and Omi can   
rebuild their strength after that dumbass move in Book 3. I've already   
made my comments on the SailorCrawford issue.  
  
Romilly - Yay! Someone figured the vision out! I know it's not that   
hard to figure out, but for those who have no idea... and yes, I'm a   
fan. I've written a fic in... that fandom (well, if others haven't   
figured it out, I'm not going to spill. I bet you can figure out Omi   
and Nabiki's "dumbass move" in Book 3, too.) before, as well. It's   
stalled at the moment (I've managed to loose the chapters _again_!)   
Crawford doesn't have a love interest.   
  
At least, not yet. *big ass grin* I'm thinking, blonde, glasses, pink   
skirt/top combo, two belts, occasionally wears glasses, has The Itch's   
patented ponytail, and, of course, Save the Queen.   
  
  
  
True Identity   
Chapter Twenty-three: Display  
Li Xiang  
  
  
  
Charon pushed open one of the windows near the roof of the warehouse,   
and slipped in. Neptune followed swiftly, and froze just inside the   
window.  
  
The aqua-haired one whispered, "This must be it... look at everything   
in here!"  
  
"Let's get a closer look," Charon mumbled, "We might have stumbled onto   
a rave-base, or something."  
  
Neptune acknowledged the possibility, and followed her teammate deeper   
into the building.  
  
They passed room by room, creaking doors open and peaking within. They   
saw no one. Finally, Charon opened a door, whispered 'Holy Shit!', and   
darted in. Neptune followed a moment later, frowning, "There's nothing   
in here, Charon."  
  
"Actually," Charon turned to face Neptune with a creepy smile, "This   
happens to be _my_ room."  
  
"You mean, when you infiltrated them as the original Isis?" pondered   
the Senshi.  
  
"Nope," came an all too familiar voice, and Neptune whirled, shocked,   
staring into Horus' green eyes. He was wearing, surprisingly, _not_ the   
leather outfit he normally sported, but jeans and a t-shirt, "This is   
Rache's room right now."  
  
"Michiru," Rache's own emerald gaze glinted, "Allow me to introduce my   
boyfriend, Yohji."  
  
"That's Horus!" the normally calm Senshi of the ocean shrieked, before   
comprehension dawned, "This was a set up!"  
  
"Give the girl a cookie," drawled Yuki, who had seemingly stepped out   
of the wall. She was twirling a pair of knives around her fingers.  
  
"This whole thing has been a set up," Yohji's eyes glinted dangerously   
as they darkened with anger at the remembered grievances of the Senshi,   
"Rache, would _you_ do the honors?"  
  
The redhead smiled, holding her hands up. Neptune gaped openly, as the   
Silence Glaive appeared in her hands, "Guess," the girl purred as she   
placed the wicked blade against the curve of Michiru's throat, "Where   
you are headed...?"  
  
"You're... you're going to kill me?" she winced as the weapon nicked   
her throat when she spoke.   
  
"That's what we were hired for," Yohji explained, having slipped his   
kill-wire around the Senshi while she was staring in shock at the one   
she had _thought_ to be an ally against an impossibly strong enemy.  
  
An enemy that had infiltrated _them_.  
  
"Why?" she whimpered, moments before Yohji tightened his wire, and   
straggled her. Ranma withdrew from the shadows, once again attempting   
to use the Happo Goen Satsu _properly_ as he had not done for months,   
to absorb the dissipating power. He did not get all of her power-- not   
having put enough of his own behind the technique, but he didn't   
vaporize the body, either, like he did with the Spirit Obliteration   
technique.   
  
That technique was for use on still moving, still living bodies. A   
corpse was to be experimented with.  
  
Rache nudged the said corpse with her boot, "Because you'd be doing the   
same to us."  
  
Yuki grinned widely, stepping forwards, "We should make an... example   
of her."  
  
"Oh, yeah, then how do we convince them why _I'm_ still alive?" Rache   
shot the older female a glare.  
  
Ranma snorted, "You _could_ just say that you two split up to head home   
when you realized you'd found our 'home base'--"  
  
"-- and you assume that she returned to 'rescue' the other Senshi--"   
Yohji put in.  
  
"-- and ended up getting offed by Amun-Ra," Yuki finished, kneeling   
beside the body. The kill-wire had cut into the dead Senshi's throat as   
she was strangled, like it had been designed to, so there were marks of   
asphyxia, as well as appearing as though she had her throat slit.  
  
Yuki brought forth her knives-- which happened to be monogrammed with   
the kanji for kitsune-- and grinned manically.  
  
She began to carve.  
  
---  
  
The next morning found Ranma sprawled across Farfello's bed, Yuki and   
Aya-chan in Ranma's room, and Rache in Yohji's-- she hadn't been able   
to sleep in her room. The stench of blood and death had been far too   
strong.  
  
Ken yawned widely, ignoring the door as he walked through the wall into   
the kitchen. It was so _nice_ not to have to hide his abilities from   
his housemates.  
  
Once within the kitchen, he hummed to himself, going about the task of   
making breakfast. After the American-style breakfast he'd made a while   
back, he'd been elected as the breakfast-maker of the House.  
  
It was a good thing he was a morning person.  
  
Searching the cupboards left him immensely cheered, because he was   
pretty sure... well, he pulled out the recipe book he'd taken from his   
home before he became part of Weiss.  
  
"Yes!" he crowed, "Cinnamon buns here I come!" it had been to _long_   
since he'd last had them. Licking his lips, he began to prepare his   
oh-so-yummy breakfast.  
  
After breaking the mixer in making the dough, Ken was seated on the   
floor in front of the oven, watching the dough rise. His stomach   
growled as their sweet and spicy scent floated through the House.   
  
The said scent called several individuals from their beds, sending them   
to trudge into the kitchen to sleepily await the hot, cinnamonny   
goodness.  
  
Such a lovely day to be alive.  
  
---  
  
A shriek wrenched into the air, as the gruesome sight was discovered   
that early morning.  
  
Hino Rei stood frozen, holding her broom with numb fingers, as she took   
it in. 'It' being Michiru's mauled corpse.  
  
She'd been strung up between two trees, behind Hikawa Jinga. The   
clothing she wore was tattered, soaked with her own blood. Her eyes   
were wide and unseeing, face frozen in terrified shock, mouth stuffed   
with, of all things, a riceball.  
  
Her tattered shirt only covered her breasts, and into the milky white   
skin of her belly, the words "Considering a Warning" were carved in a   
surprisingly delicate handwriting.  
  
She appeared to be-- minus what was on her clothing-- drained   
completely of blood.  
  
When the police arrived, it was to Rei's shock to find there were a   
fairly _large_ number of government officials with them.  
  
At one point, when the forensic officers decided it was alright to take   
Kaiou's body off it's gruesome display, the Senshi of Mars thought she   
heard something _very_ disturbing.  
  
"They don't play around, do they?" one JSDF officer commented to his   
companion.  
  
"They're the best of the best, Yoshitaka," the other replied, "I'll bet   
you three thousand yen that they don't find anything to connect to who   
did this."  
  
"You're on!"  
  
So as not to contaminate the 'scene of the crime', Jiji, Yuuichirou and   
Rei were moved from the shrine grounds. Jiji and Yuuichirou stayed at a   
near-by temple, but Rei had relocated herself to the Tsukino residence,   
terrified.  
  
Naru had come as soon as Rei called the Senshi, and she was hit   
hardest. Sobbing into Minako's shoulder, she related that they had,   
indeed, found Amun-Ra's base. She and Neptune had agreed to head back   
to their respective homes, in order to rest up, then tell everyone else   
at the meeting the next day.   
  
Rei inferred that Michiru had _not_ come back to the shrine, but   
instead doubled back to the warehouse in a brash attempt to rescue the   
trapped Senshi.  
  
Obviously, she failed, and had been killed both for the attempt, and as   
a warning to the other Senshi.  
  
Usagi was surprisingly stoic, "How fast could they get out of their   
current base?"  
  
Naru sniffled, "They won't leave. They'll think we're too scared to   
move against them. It's always been Amun-Ra's weakness-- he's far to   
overconfident."  
  
The Princess of the Moon nodded, "Tonight, then. Rei-chan, Mina-chan,   
Naru-chan... we'll attack and _defeat_ them tonight!"  
  
"Usagi..."  
  
"No," and it was obviously Serenity before them, "We go tonight. They   
won't be expecting it. We _will_not_fail_!"  
  
---  
  
"Is she stupid?" wondered Saotome with a chuckle, "We just killed the   
last Outer Senshi. Does she really think she'll defeat _all_ of us?"  
  
Schuldich snickered, "She doesn't realize that Rache isn't on her   
side."  
  
"Heh. That _is_ a bit of an ace in the hole... so we'll finish this   
tonight?"  
  
"Bingo, Bishoujo."  
  
Ranma's eye twitched, "Next time you call me that, I am going to rip   
you to _shreds_!"  
  
"I'd like to see you try... Bishoujo!"  
  
---  
  
Dinner was a small affair.  
  
Oz, Fei Li and Nobuyuki had been sent out to appropriate party   
supplies-- for the bash they'd hold once the mission was completed--   
and given instructions not to return until morning. Aya-chan, Omi and   
Kunzite were over at the Tendou Dojo for the night.  
  
Crawford was still in his room, proclaiming illness, even though   
Schuldich, Ranma and Yuki knew otherwise, from using their various   
abilities.   
  
Schuldich had dragged Ken off, having finally convinced him that   
'hanging out' was _not_ 'dating'. The redhead was just going to 'hang   
out' with Ken, although he _did_ plan to get Hidaka piss drunk.  
  
So it was only Yuki, Ranma, Ran, Jei Yohji, and Nagi who were gathered   
to eat their supper. Tonight was the final night.  
  
---  
  
End Chapter  
  
But not the final chapter. Don't worry everyone, I've got several more   
chapters and a bunch of cliffhangers, just for you guys! Aren't you   
_happy_? 


	25. Revealing

Guess what everyone? I've got my hands on the Weiss boxset of DVDs. I   
can finally watch them ^____^ I've already watched the first seven   
episodes.   
  
They're not my DVDs, though. I have to watch Weiss, then give themback   
to M-sama. And I'm also supposed to be watching volumes four and five   
of G-Gundam, which is _also_ not my DVD set and I have to give those   
back to B. Not to mention there's the whole   
studying-for-the-dimploa-exam-I'm-taking-on-Monday.   
  
For those of you who've emailed me, and not recieved a response--   
that's why. Sorries. I'll try to answer all your emails before I take   
flight back to the land of studying. Bleh. Non-fun.  
  
  
  
True Identity  
Chapter Twenty-Four - Revealing  
Li Xiang  
  
  
  
Rache met the other three Senshi about two blocks away from the   
warehouse. Her pole arm-- her long-hafted scimitar-- clacked with each   
step of her grey shoes. They did not speak, having planned it out   
earlier in the day.  
  
Only Rache truly blended into the night. The bright orange, red, and   
blue-with-pink really stood out, she mused, opening the same window she   
had used to bring Michiru to her death.  
  
She and Venus slipped in, while Moon and Mars used an entrance at the   
other end of the warehouse. Sharp, emerald eyes caught sight of   
Ranma-onna. Surprisingly, she was dress in one of Yuki's mini-kimonos--   
a silver one with a blue-dragon pattern, that cut off about mid-thigh--  
with a pair of black leggings, and no shoes.  
  
After a moment of confusion, she realized that her friend was making an   
attempt to look like she was relaxed at home. It was kinda obvious with   
how she had picked up a couple of boxes of the doughnuts Ken kept   
stocked with; and had dropped herself in front of the television.  
  
The two 'Senshi' crept closer, and Yuki entered, flopping onto the   
couch.  
  
The enhanced senses of the Senshi-- which were normally used to hear   
energy attacks whizzing through the air to attack from behind-- just   
barely picked up the conversation between the two females.  
  
"Anything on?"  
  
"Nothin'," Bastet returned sourly, "Damn, but what I wouldn't do to see   
'the Guilty One' chasin' Kenken 'round again. It's _damn_ funny."  
  
Isis' eyes flickered to Venus and Charon's positions, "You been hanging   
around those humans again, Little Sister?"  
  
Bastet rolled her eyes, "Not since Lord Pahn released me."  
  
"Mmm," Isis nodded, "Hey, where's the pipsqueak?"  
  
"Amun-Ra will kill you if you call him 'pisqueak' again, Isa,"   
interjected one tired-looking Horus, "I've had a rough day, so would   
you two keep it _quiet_?!"  
  
Bastet stuck her tongue out, and Isis laughed, "You need to calm down,   
Rus. Lack of a chick getting to you?"  
  
"Shut up," Horus muttered, scowling mightily at the two laughing   
Saotomes.  
  
The Senshi were close enough that it wouldn't hurt to attack. Moon and   
Mars were to go after Ptah, Osiris and Amun-Ra, since they weren't with   
the other three.  
  
Venus launched herself forwards with a war cry, followed by a quick   
'crescent beam!". Charon darted into the room, holding her blade in   
loose fingers.  
  
To the blonde Senshi's shock, the three occupants of the room looked   
completely calm, despite just having been attacked. Yuki flickered her   
hair over her shoulder, "You _might_ have had a chance, _if_ you hadn't   
split up."  
  
Venus snorted, firing off a 'crescent beam shower!' to occupy Horus and   
Bastet as she took on Isis. She would win; she was the beautiful   
heroine, after all!  
  
"Silence Wall."  
  
Saturn?! Venus' head snapped around, in the direction the 'attack' had   
come from. Hotaru did not stand there. Charon did, however, she now   
wore the seifuku Saturn had worn into the battle with Master Pharaoh   
90. For the first time, did Venus notice the black streaks in her   
surprisingly vivid red hair.  
  
"Charon? What's going on?!"  
  
"There's no Sailor Charon," Yuki put in helpfully, "Only two halves of   
one person-- Hotaru and Naru."  
  
"And we," Ranma grinned nastily as the four surrounded the blonde, "Put   
her back together."  
  
"She's as skilled as she is beautiful," Yohji shot the flushing Rache a   
grin, "I feel lucky that she chose _me_."  
  
"Minako, Minako, Minako," tsked the still red Rache, "You wouldn't be   
in this mess if Serenity had left this plane without complaint. You   
would have been reborn, yes-- but without the Senshi power."  
  
Yuki's hand knit into the blond locks of the stunned young woman. She   
lowered her mouth to the girl's ear, "And you wouldn't have to die. To   
bad for you... we _like_ to kill..." with a husky laugh, she bit   
Minako's ear hard enough to take a chuck out.   
  
Venus screamed.  
  
---  
  
Mars and Moon, in the meanwhile, had tracked the other three into the   
'garage'.  
  
In there, all the vehicles-- minus the low-rider, which was carefully   
tucked into a corner-- had been taken out. The redheaded Osiris and the   
white haired Ptah were duking it out. A slight teen that neither girl   
had seen before watched them, his arms crossed.  
  
Ptah and Osiris were growling and snipping at each other,   
surprisingly-- at least to the Senshi-- trying to kill one another.  
  
The two normally bickering Senshi crept closer to their goal, faces   
serious, eyes hard on their targets. Their focus failed to last,   
however, when Venus' shriek of pain rang in their ears.  
  
Forgetting that they were in enemy territory, both girls leapt to their   
feet, with a shout of "Venus!"  
  
Moment's later, Moon found herself hovering in the air, frantically   
struggling against the invisible grip that held her. Panicked blue eyes   
shot around the room, landing on the youngest occupant. He was   
_smirking_ at her.  
  
"Ah, ah, ah," he waggled a finger, "We've got a special... gift for   
you."  
  
"Moon!" Mars shrieked, whirling, flames flickering from her fingertips,   
"Fire Soul!"  
  
"Shit!" Nagi ducked, startled, watching the flames shoot over his head,   
heart pounding.  
  
Mars didn't get another chance to fire, as Aya was suddenly on her. His   
katana sliced through the air-- and through Mars' left arm just as   
easily. She screamed, skittering back, violet eyes wide and panicked.  
  
---  
  
Venus had instinctively thrown an all encompassing blast of energy--   
enough to throw Yuki away from her. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough   
overall.  
  
Rache had swung the Silence Glaive, Venus barely dodged out it's path,   
and still, it's tip grazed her stomach.  
  
Ranma had slipped up behind her, and as Yohji's wire wrapped around her   
body, she dug her fingers into the sides of her head, "As anti-climatic   
as this is, I _do_ have a bit of an appointment to keep. Happo Goen   
Satsu revised: _SPIRIT_OBLITERATION_!"  
  
---  
  
Moon found herself released from Nagi's hold, only to be bound up in   
wire, and dragged off. Ranma-onna smirked, becoming a human straight   
jacket and gag, "Can't let you interfere," she told the struggling   
Princess, "'Pahn' dearly, _dearly_ wants you to pay for hurting me."  
  
Large blue eyes looked at the grinning visages of Yuki and Yohji. There   
would be no help from either of them. 'Obviously' Amun-Ra had   
brainwashed them all _really_ well.  
  
And where were Venus and Charon? These three couldn't have possibly   
dispatched them yet...  
  
"Hold, Evil Villains!"  
  
Charon! Hopeful eyes turned to the rafters, to find Charon standing   
proudly, half hidden by shadows.  
  
Mars, bleeding as she was, a number of deep scratches and slashes, not   
to mention the arm Aya had half removed, felt joy for a few, previous   
seconds. They were saved.   
  
Then reality decided to drop in. Charon stepped into the light,   
revealing her true seifuku-- the one that designated her as   
Sailorsaturn. The Silence Glaive danced in nimble fingers. She wasn't  
looking at Farfello, nor Aya.  
  
She was staring at Mars as she dropped off the rafters. Her boots   
clicked in the silence that had filled the garage. Her pole arm dipped   
back, the blade easily cutting through solid cement, carving a trench   
with each step.  
  
"You know," she began, "You two are the last ones left. You are the   
last of your unnatural plague on this world."  
  
"Charon?!"  
  
"No," Rache corrected, "I am death. I am destruction. I am rebirth, and   
I am creation. My _name_, bitch, is Vengeance. I am Rache."  
  
She stood, two feet from Mars now, smiling serenely, "I am everything   
and nothing, Hino Rei. And I am _one_ of the Executioners of the   
Sailorsenshi."  
  
"Naru-- You're not making any sense!" Mars barked, drawing on her   
continuos store of fury.  
  
"Maybe not," and suddenly, the Silence Glaive was at her throat, "But   
you _did_ try to roast my boyfriend, repeatedly. Isn't that a good   
reason to kill you?"  
  
"No!"  
  
"I think it is!" Yuki called cheerfully, smiling insanely, "Playboy   
should get his turn, Rache."  
  
"Yohji?" at the invitation, the long-haired assassin glided forwards,   
wire curled around his fingers. Yuki, too, moved, to stand closer to   
the action.   
  
"Spill 'er blood! Spill 'er blood!" the nineteen year old cheered   
gleefully, Jei joining in after a moment, "Spill 'er blood!"  
  
Rache, Yohji and Aya, paused, groaned and spoke as one, "No wonder   
Ranma likes them..." that was about when the pair of sociopaths began   
to offer suggestions on how to kill the Senshi in the most _painful_ of   
ways.  
  
---  
  
End Chapter 


	26. Vapor

Since Itch has apparently decided that she's going to flood my inbox   
until I do this... she's got an RPG. If I wasn't in so many I might   
actually join. Or not. I'm not a huge fan of Harry Potter, although I   
do considerably like Final Fantasy Eight. Anyway, she's got a crossover   
RPG located at the old site of Millennium Scales   
(http://icetemple.tripod.com/), since she was begging me for webspace.   
  
Most likely at finalknight.net, but I'm still dealing with some coding   
bugs, and I really don't want to find out that I've coded something   
wrong and she can get into all my stuff, so I put her up at tripod.  
  
Kyra - Yeah, that should have been precious. Guess neither me nor Mei   
managed to catch that while re-reading it. Whoops.  
  
Shinigami - How many chapters...? Hold on. This is chapter twenty-five,   
right? *checks* Right. There are twenty-seven chapters, plus an   
epilogue. That means three weeks until you can read Hidden Identity and   
Confused Identity.   
  
Hidden Identity is being released all at one time. Prologue to   
Epilogue. That's why I haven't been throwing out multiple chapters a   
week, I needed the time to write the full thing, edit it, have Mei read   
and edit it, go back and check it over again, and THEN start on   
Confused Identity. Need to have that Prologue ready for posting, ne?   
  
And Yay! I've got over a hundred reviews! *begins handing out party   
stuff* Waiiiii!!  
  
  
True Identity  
Chapter Twenty-Five: Vapor  
Li Xiang  
  
  
  
"I feel like this is a slumber party."  
  
Snickers came from all around, and the man scowled, crossing his arms   
and pouting petulantly. Several people needed to take a second look. It   
wasn't everyday that one got to see Kunzite Ei'lorosha pouting.  
  
Nabiki took a snapshot-- not only for the pout, but because of   
Kunzite's appearance. It was good blackmail material. Not that she   
would have to blackmail him. He would already do anything for her, just   
because she'd brought him "back to life".  
  
Aya-chan, Xian Phu, Kasumi and Nabiki had decided he needed a   
make-over. Jadaeite, Nephrite, and Zoicite had agreed readily, and Omi   
was just glad it wasn't him. So Nabiki had bound him up in magic   
restraints, and settled him onto the floor of Kasumi's room. For a girl   
who was pretty much a housewife, she sure had a large amount of   
make-up, outrageous clothing, and leather.  
  
They'd played with platinum locks first-- gleefully braiding hundreds   
of plaits, with multicolor elastics. When that was finished, Aya-chan   
spiked them all straight up.  
  
He was then dressed in a pair of red silk 'harem' pants, and a red   
leather vest, and a neon yellow t-shirt. Make-up followed, paling his   
skin to the color of fresh snow, and adding yellow lipstick, red   
eyeliner, sparkly pink eyeshadow, and then smeared body glitter all   
over his face and arms.  
  
He was _not_ a happy man.  
  
Aya-chan patted his shoulder, "Oh, don't worry, Kunzite-kun! You can   
take everything off... tomorrow."  
  
Laughter issued forth from the mouths of his friends and comrades.   
Ei'lorosha was glad they'd powdered his face so pale. At least they   
couldn't tell that he was _blushing_!  
  
---  
  
Moon was sobbing, no longer thrashing and struggling in Bastet's   
all-too strong grasp, as she watched Mars. The solider of fire was   
screaming, screaming so loudly...  
  
Horus had bound her tight in his web of wires, pulling it tighter and   
tighter with each tug. He could have killed her very easily... but he   
also wanted her to _hurt_. She wouldn't be able to _feel_ what Rache   
had felt when she had been pushed away-- so Yohji transferred the   
sensation into physical Pain.  
  
With a capital 'P'.  
  
Isis and Ptah were still crowing with delight, watching blood seep from   
the wounds Osiris and Ptah had inflicted, and Horus made worse.  
  
Rache and Amun-Ra had turned away from the scene, whispering to one   
another obviously planning something from the way their eyes kept   
flickering to the captive Princess. Something was up.  
  
Moon collapsed, boneless, tears still boiling down her checks,   
startling the youngest Saotome. But Bastet's grip did not wane, her   
eyes only briefly flickering to the girl in her arms. Blue eyes were   
more intent on watching Hino Rei be tortured to death.  
  
"Yohji, that's enough."  
  
They collectively turned to see Rache walking forwards, and Usagi felt   
a brief flicker of hope. The said hope was dashed, when Rache leveled   
the Silence Glaive at Mars, "I want my life back. Let's get this over   
with."  
  
The group began to back off, but were surprised to find that Nagi was   
telekinetically yanking them away. He had gotten stronger-- directing   
the Tinchas, boosting 'Charon', fighting with Ranma; a little training   
did a hell of a lot-- so he didn't collapse from stressing his power by   
moving everyone, excluding Mars, behind Rache.  
  
A wicked grin crossed her face, "Silence Glaive Surprise."  
  
Almost as soon as she activated it, she halted the outpour of dark   
magics. It was enough to vaporize the still bound Mars, and carve a   
trench into the floor, but not damage the far wall.  
  
Where she had been, a ball of light flickered into existence, before it   
raced off towards Usagi-- the closet one who could receive the power of   
Mars. Unfortunately for her, Ranma's hand shot out into it's path,   
"Happo Goen Satsu!" the fifty-coin piece in her hand drew in the power,   
transferring it to the redhead.  
  
For once, she'd managed to perform the technique correctly.  
  
She shoved the Princess away from her, "You're the only one left   
Usagi..."  
  
The Silence Glaive turned towards the blonde, "... think you can beat   
all of us...?"  
  
Yuki stood tall, hands crackling with a charging lightning spell,   
"...don't delude yourself, girl."  
  
"No chance," Ran grinned sadistically, surprising all those that knew   
him, while Nagi silently agreed. Knives twirled about Jei's fingers,   
and his single amber eye glinted.  
  
"You're mine, Moon."  
  
He lunged at the startled girl. Shrieking, she barely dodged his first   
swipe of the blade. Then, she seemed to abruptly forget the fact that   
she was a notorious klutz, dancing and wearing around each deadly jab.   
The others looked on, a bit surprised at her agility.  
  
None of them realizing that Tsukino was getting angry. They had   
definitely killed Mars and Neptune, and she supposed everyone else had   
been killed as well.  
  
Beryl had done this, Serenity killed her.  
  
Chaos had done this, Serenity had destroyed it.  
  
She would _not_ be beaten!  
  
With a scream of outrage that took everyone by surprise, Sailor Moon   
drew on the power of the Ginzoushou, to summon her highest form.  
  
Sailor Cosmos was born.  
  
"Holy shit..." whispered Ranma, as she could feel the powers she'd   
absorbed reacting to Cosmos' presence. Only her skill at manipulating   
ki halted it from leaving her body. Rache did not have this problem,   
although she _did_ feel a bit of a drain on her power, as she had been   
born a Senshi.  
  
Yuki cursed virulently, Cosmos' magic was attempting to rip her apart   
at the atomic level. Saotome Yuki was a Sorceress, and a Sorceress was   
a user of Dark Magic; she was just one that had dabbled in White Magic.   
However, there was no way it made her immune to Cosmos' power.  
  
Sailor Cosmos had tapped into the powers that created the universe.   
Barely coherent, she latched onto the energy sources incompatible with   
Cosmos, and cast a specific spell.  
  
Seconds later, Yohji, Ran, Jei, Nagi and Yuki herself had been   
transported to the Tendou Dojo, Yuki having instinctually reached out   
for the nearest source of familiar magic-- Nabiki's-- to give the spell   
a destination.  
  
It was a random spell, however, created in her panic, so she only have   
a moment to contemplate the horrors of a man wearing red and yellow   
make-up, before passing out.  
  
---  
  
As the light of the transformation faded, Rache and Ranma blinked the   
spots from their eyes. Cosmos leveled her staff at them, and spoke with   
a ringing voice, "You who _dared_ to kill my precious ones, shall be   
punished."  
  
Rache returned the shot with, "_You're_ the bitch who abandoned _me_!"   
but Ranma was more concerned with finding her Jei-sama. All she could   
tell was that he'd vanished at one point.   
  
Being the person that she was, she jumped to the wrong conclusion,   
"You... you... you killed them..." she whispered, listlessly, her aura   
beginning to flicker madly. Her ki pulsed over her arms, and extended   
into one inch, six inches, a foot, then two feet, then _three foot_   
long ki claws. Fire and lightning crackled across the claws, and a damp   
wind stirred the air. Temperature dropped to freezing, while Cosmos and   
Rache gaped in shock.  
  
The black mist curled around her, licking her skin with each step. Her   
clothing shifted, melting and changing the short kimono length to the   
floor, before splitting open along the front center.   
  
The tail of the duster split into four equally as wide sections, metal   
plates forming on the shoulders. Chains wrapped around a chest hidden   
by a black sports bra, looping as to be chained by a padlock in the   
center of her chest, forming an 'x' shape.  
  
Leggings shifted and changed, becoming a pair of supple black leather   
pants. Thick, buckled boots encased her feet each up to mid-shin-- and   
then came the final chance. Ranma's hair darkened to black, her chest   
flattened, and the bra melted away, giving Usagi her first good look at   
Saotome Ranma in the form he was born in.  
  
"You killed them," he snarled, ki-claws flexing dangerously, his blue   
eyes focused solely on Cosmos' sapphire, "You killed my sister. You   
killed Playboy and Prodigy. You killed my Ayan, and my _Jei-sama_!"  
  
"This is not good," Rache mused nervously, "He's gone _beyond_ pissed   
off..."  
  
Not to say that she was any better, upon realizing exactly what Ranma--   
was he still Ranma?-- was saying.   
  
Yohji, she noted as she looked around, panicked, was no where to be   
seen. Ice closed around her heart, upon realizing this, and a cold fury   
tore through her body.  
  
Cosmos was about to find out why Sailor Saturn wasn't allowed to have a   
relationship with anyone-- including the other Senshi-- during the   
Silver Millennium.  
  
The being that stood in Ranma's place had been about to launch his   
attack when another power grew in his senses. Whirling, he came face to   
face with Rache. Her once emerald-- and now violet flames-- gaze was   
locked on Cosmos' face, and dark magic danced over her body.  
  
Traditionally speaking, Saturn was the only one with the ability to   
become a Sorceress had she but wanted to, among the wanna-be witches   
that were the Sailor Senshi.  
  
Rache went one step further, and the power of a dormant Sorceress and   
the power of the Soldier of Death was now, officially, combined.  
  
A cocoon of darkness wrapped itself around her, clinging to her body,   
and covering everything but her still glowing violet gaze. The Silence   
Glaive's glinting violet iron, and pearl surface was not spared,   
either.  
  
Death had arrived.  
  
---  
  
End Chapter  
  
Whee, Scary Rache! I really don't think this chapter is very good... 


	27. Trapped

Faded Fantasies (http://li_xiang.anifics.com/) now offically has an   
idea section with _ideas_ in it! I'd love to see them actually being   
written, and I'd host the written works on my site, too... I'm not   
writing them simply because I can't seem to make the ideas work as a   
story right now.  
  
Besides, I've been day dreaming of the sidestories and whatnot that   
will be written once I finish the last book. Which is a long ways away,   
probably a year from now, maybe even a year and a half.   
  
Kit - I've no idea. I actually stole that part of Ranma's outfit from a   
poster I've got of Sha Goyjo (from his life before his current one. I   
can't remember his name from back then...)   
  
Kyra - Awkward? Hmmm, I never noticed. Er... ehehehehe, not happy witht   
he cliffhanger? *peeks to the end of the fic* Hmmm, you're not going to   
be happy about this one...  
  
Adyen - No Galaxia. Just a... more annoying enemy. Mwahahahahahaha!!  
  
Ran - What happened to Ranma is a question for... another book. You   
find out in Hidden Identity. *whistles cheerfully*  
  
Anyone know where I can find some good Fruits Basket fics, other than   
FF.net? M-sama and Itch had gotten me hooked on the series. I have to   
go to Itch's house and worship Hatsuharu at her shrine. Hmmm, maybe   
I'll make Akito a shrine... for some reason,   
creepy-almost-dead-manipulative guy is one of my favorite characters   
(like you couldn't tell, what with all the FB ideas at my site dealing   
with Akito...)  
  
  
  
True Identity  
Chapter Twenty-six: Trapped  
Li Xiang  
  
  
  
To truly understand the three powers within the House, one must   
understand where each person was coming from.  
  
The easiest is Cosmos. The platinum tressed "Ultimate Soldier" had   
witnessed both her best friend's death at the hands of her ex-best   
friend from Middle School, _and_ the stealing of said best friend's   
power by an ally-turned enemy.  
  
She was depressed, and she was furious, and she had demanded the power   
to defeat her foes from her previous life's mother's sacred crystal.   
She got what she wanted.  
  
Next comes Ranma. Hardly stable to begin with, and having just absorbed   
yet another Senshi's power, he was definitely _not_ in the proper state   
of mind to be confronting Cosmos. Having only witnessed a flare of   
light, and the disappearance of his master, friends, and sister, he   
inadvertently tapped into the ki and magic he'd drained from the Senshi   
he had killed.  
  
Power had flooded his mind, finally tipping him over the edge into   
coherent insanity, and allowing something dark from the recesses of his   
mind to come forth and into control of his body and actions. Something   
that would have been better left asleep, and tucked into the corner of   
his mind, far more than even the fickle Cat of the Neko-ken.  
  
Finally, Rache.  
  
The ancient magic of a Senshi, the power of a planet, had been   
thrumming through her since merging with Hotaru. It had scattered her   
thought processes, assimilating both Naru and Hotaru's previous   
personas into the one that was Rache.  
  
The part of her that was the reincarnated Sailor Saturn, that had been   
the girl named Hotaru, still had her millennia old connection to the   
dark power that created Sorceresses in the first place. The dark god   
Hyne.  
  
Fueled by the depression and fury of the supposed death of her   
boyfriend, the part of her that was Naru, subconsciously reached out   
and grabbed a hold of the power of a Sorceress. The part of her that   
had been Hotaru dove for the only power she knew of-- Saturn's. The   
powers had merged, much like the person they belonged to.  
  
Which brings us back to the fact that Cosmos, as close to being a deity   
as she was, was facing off against two people who while _separate_ each   
held less power than she, but _together_ overpowered her by a fairly   
large margin. Cosmos had no idea that _that_ was the reality.  
  
All she knew was that she had two enemies to defeat, and then... then   
she could call her friends' spirits back. She would not be alone!  
  
She let loose a blast of pure power, that tore another trench into the   
floor, and rammed through the opposite wall, as Rache and Ranma leapt   
into the air. Then came the next couple surprises.  
  
Male and female hung in the air-- massive black draconic wings   
extending from the shadow that was Rache, while Saotome had apparently   
learned Herb's flight technique, and refined it. He hovered   
effortlessly above the damaged floor.  
  
"Strong," purred Kitty, and Rache smirked as she finished with "but   
hardly strong enough."  
  
Thinking on the same wavelength, both of them shot forwards, Ranma   
releasing his flight technique and streaming across the floor. Rache's   
wings beat without sound as she arced downwards in a bombing attack.   
  
Cosmos leapt to the left of Ranma, whirling her staff and cracking him   
hard across the back of his head. Death's dive was narrowly avoided,   
but the Silence Glaive was not. The wickedly sharp blade sliced into   
her shoulder, and only the instinctive reaction to jerk away from the   
pain kept her from losing an arm.  
  
The moment his hands hit the ground, Ranma kicked out, sweeping Cosmos'   
legs out from under her. The Sailor Soldier hit the ground on her ass,   
but she still held her staff-- said staff arced up to intercept the   
Silence Glaive, giving her the few needed seconds to roll away and   
scramble to her feet.  
  
Ranma had flipped back onto his own feet, grinning widely, "Oh, what a   
lovely day, it is, it is."  
  
"W-w-what?" stuttered Cosmos. Death snorted, ramming the stunned Senshi   
and slamming her against the wall.  
  
"He's insane," she smirked, although one really couldn't tell, what   
with the shadow over her face, "Stark raving bonkers!"  
  
"D-doesn't," Cosmos wheezed, "it dis-disturb you?!"  
  
"After meeting his mom, and sister, and boyfriend? Hardly," she reared   
back and planted her shadow covered fist into Cosmos' face. Cosmos   
planted her knee into Rache's stomach.  
  
With a whoosh of breath, Rache backed off, and Cosmos unleashed another   
flare of energy, throwing both further away. They shot to their feet   
almost as soon as the power faded, prepping themselves for an attack.  
  
A cat-like yowl escaped Saotome's lips, as Cosmos unleashed her attack   
on him. Fire and Lightning intercepted the power, his claws come to   
bare. While the claws split the energy of the attack, the two Senshi   
powers he unleashed only added to the attack. Rache shrieked as she saw   
her friend get thrown, even as his skin burnt and charred.  
  
"Ranma!"  
  
"Shiiiiit, that's pain," he croaked, drawing himself up, and spitting   
out a cloud of ash, "'Ey, Death! Look out!"  
  
Rache's attention returned to their opponent, barely enough time to   
swing the Glaive at the energy, splitting in two and spinning away on   
either side of her. Before she could counterattack, Death was treated   
to the sound of Cosmos' screech of pain. Ranma had decided to get some   
pay back.  
  
Cosmos held one hand across her face, and the blood seeping through her   
glove made her injury all to obvious. Still holding her staff, she   
swung it about wildly in a blind attempt at defense.  
  
Sadistic grin in place, Saotome halted the staff's movements, having   
caught it just beneath it's fancy, winged topper. A sharp yank ripped   
the weapon from the Senshi's fingers, and Ranma twirled it like a   
baton.  
  
"Pretty, pretty thing," he hummed, spinning the staff a couple more   
times, before cracking it down over one knee.  
  
The now separate halves, he allowed to fall to the wayside, "Pretty   
things have no place. Only dark things live here," he snickered,   
grinning at Death.  
  
The Shadow bound woman launched herself at the blood-blinded and   
stunned woman, a spin kick nearly taking the Soldier's head off. Cosmos   
spat up more blood, and a couple of teeth, "That... didn't... hurt..."  
  
"Really?" Rache grinned nastily behind the shadows that covered her   
face, "Well then... we'll just have to hit _harder_!"  
  
There was a sickening crack as Ranma punctuated Rache's sentence with a   
washi-giri[1] to Cosmos' left arm. The sharp kick had shattered her   
upper-arm. A mo-giri[2] followed suit for the right arm, and suddenly,   
Cosmos had an inability to attack.  
  
Without her arms, she couldn't perform her attacks. Without her eyes--   
blinded as she was by her own blood-- she could not see her target.  
  
Panic swelled in the Princess' breast; the pair were working together   
to bring her down. There... there was only one way to survive.  
  
Tsukino Usagi gave her mind over to the Ginzoushou.  
  
---  
  
When the light faded, and the spots once again stopped dancing in their   
eyes, both Rache and Ranma felt themselves incapable of movement. Both   
struggled fiercely against their entrapment, but neither could break   
the hold of the ancient magics.  
  
"You have attempted to kill my mistress," a ringing voice echoed in the   
fight-destroyed garage, "For that, you must die."  
  
"What in the--" the lady Death spoke, or at least, attempted to. It   
appeared that she was as incapable of speech, as she was of movement.   
Fuming, she glared at the latest transformation of Princess Serenity.  
  
Naked, was the first thing that popped into her mind, and Rache blushed   
red. She wasn't a terribly modest woman, nor was she ashamed of her   
body, but there was also no way in hell she'd let anyone see her naked.  
  
The next thing that came to mind was a question: Since when was Usagi's   
skin _blue_?!  
  
Her skin had, indeed, turned blue. A bright shade of royal blue that   
matched her eyes. Her blonde hair had bleached silver, and there was a   
crystal sticking out of the center of her forehead.  
  
And she had been fully healed.  
  
Ranma growled low in his throat, would they not be able to _get_rid_ of   
this bitch?! He wanted his damned life back!  
  
Their fury beat against the magic, not unlike a wild beast raging   
against a cage. They would get free! They would get revenge for the   
deaths of their friends, their family! They would _kill_this_bitch_!"  
  
"I wouldn't do that," the voice that was not Usagi's, yet came from her   
throat, mused, "Nothing, no one, has ever escaped my retribution.   
Ever."  
  
---  
  
End Chapter  
  
Aren't I mean??  
  
[1] & [2] - Styles of kicks used in karate. I can't remember which is   
which, but I'm pretty sure washi-giri is a kick with the bottom/pad of   
the foot, while mo-giri uses the top of the foot. 


	28. Vengeance

Queen of Insanity - *laughing to hard to respond*  
  
Kyra - *bows* I am very proud of myself. I am queen of pride. I am far   
from humble. Bloody smear on the floor, more like it.   
  
Shinigami; The Ginzoushou's never been "human" before. That's how.  
  
Evil Strategemini - *laughs* Hyne is fun. Hyne created the Sorceresses   
in Final Fantasy Eight. And I didn't change the Glaive simply because a   
scythe is highly overused when someone "becomes" Death. I know it's   
his/her traditional weapon, but... well, I'm not exactly traditional,   
now am I? *grins*  
  
Adyen - Glad you still likes ^___^  
  
Hmm... not so much SchuKen kicking it up yet, Chibi Kitsune... but   
there's more in book 3 though. Book 4, too. (Schuldich manages to get   
Ken to go on a date with him ^___^)  
  
Ran... Uh... *glances at the epilogue* Er... well... at least book 3   
comes out in it's entirity at the same time, right? x.x  
  
  
  
True Identity  
Chapter Twenty-seven: Vengeance  
Li Xiang  
  
  
  
The Ginzoushou stepped forwards with slow, measured steps. Her eyes   
were blank sapphire, and the smile creasing her face was plastic and   
unfeeling. Her prey was bound, there would be no escape.  
  
Idly, the crystal reached out, to brush against the power her two   
captives were desperately beating against her restraints with. Perhaps   
it could be something she could tap into...?  
  
Then, she hesitated. These two bore the powers she had granted to her   
champions. Why would they be going against her host?  
  
Her hesitation brought Rache and Ranma salvation. She had loosened her   
grasp on them, just a mite, but it was enough for the Soldier of Death   
to insert her own power into the space, and wrench herself free.  
  
With the sudden emptiness in her power, the Ginzoushou automatically   
released the spell. Ranma went free.  
  
"Dumbass," the martial artist laughed gleefully, and he promptly lunged   
at the blue-skinned young woman. The Ginzoushou, having never been   
physically attacked before, was unprepared to find herself flung   
through the air by Saotome's kick.  
  
Death picked up the pace, winging her way behind the slowly recovering   
former sacred crystal, "What, too hard?" and swung her pole arm. The   
crystal shrieked, leaping forwards, and losing the majority of her   
hair.  
  
She had never focused energy before-- her hosts had always been the   
ones to do that-- so she was used to merely pouring her power out,   
without direction, without meaning. For a moment, Rache and Ranma were   
blinded by the flare of light, but the being that had been awoken to   
fight was unaware that Ranma was capable of fighting sightless. He   
reached out mentally, locking onto the only unfamiliar presence in the   
House, "Mouko Takabisha!"  
  
The output of white magic cut off suddenly, the Fierce Tiger   
Domineering Blast catching her squarely in the stomach, and Rache   
unleashed another 'Silence Glaive Surprise'. The Sacred Crystal howled   
in pain, as the vaporizing blast barely shot past her-- and took off an   
arm.  
  
The stump was neither cauterized nor bloody. Crystal had grown over the   
injury. Rache noted this, as Ranma lashed out with his ki-claws, raking   
them across her chest-- against, no blood, only a crystalline scabbing.  
  
Interesting... to test a theory, she twirled the Glaive around her   
hands, whisking past the Ginzoushou, carving a trail in her hip. The   
trail shined with it's crystal.  
  
By this point, even Ranma had noticed, having been continuously mauling   
her, and not getting the blood he had been seeking. Only bits of blue   
flesh, and crystal shards were removed from his foe's body.  
  
"What the _hell_ are you?!"  
  
"I am the Ginzoushou," that ringing voice sang, "You _can_not_ destroy   
me!"  
  
"Don't want to destroy _you_," spat Death, "We want _Tsukino_!"  
  
The blue-skinned one turned shocked eyes on the Senshi-turned-assassin,   
"W-what?"  
  
Ranma growled, "We were hired to kill the Senshi. That includes Moon."  
  
"B-but _you_ are Senshi!"  
  
"I am," Rache nodded, drawing back and sighting the crystal along the   
Silence Glaive, "Yet I am not. Ranma is Ranma is Ranma--" she didn't   
hear him mutter 'is Orfiel', "-- he's no Senshi."  
  
The Ginzoushou looked terribly confused, sinking to the floor. Rache   
grinned ruefully, "I should feel bad to this... but it's vengeance, and   
it's what I'm named for. Silence Glaive Surprise!"  
  
When she cut off the power, Ranma leapt forwards to make _sure_ she had   
not gotten away, or transformed again. It had been a fairly   
anti-climatic battle, he sulked, although if they hadn't had the power   
of a Senshi, it probably would have gone the other way.  
  
Kneeling in the trench-- the third one!-- in the floor he picked up the   
two sparkling items left behind. One spiky little white crystal that   
hovered over his hand, and the spherical, inert form of the Ginzoushou.  
  
Apparently, not even Saturn's power could destroy it.  
  
His rage faded away, leaving him to his depression as he stood. The   
presence that had guided his movements slipped into the back of his   
mind once more, and his jacket seemed to fall to pieces, the tatters   
fluttering to the ground. Stepping out of the trench, his boots faded   
away, and he looked over at the lady Death.  
  
Her wings had vanished, and the shadows had pulled away from her face.   
She appeared to be wearing a black unitard now, like Ranma wore black   
silk pants and the chains around his chest.  
  
"Anything...?"  
  
"Just these," and he put the Ginzoushou into her hands, keeping the   
other crystal to himself, "What is this thing?"  
  
"Tsukino's pureheart crystal," mused Rache, upon searching Hotaru's   
memory, "As long as that exists, Usagi's soul is bound to it. The   
Ginzoushou must have protected it through my attack."  
  
"Really?" Ranma eyed it speculatively, "Heh, well, she sure as hell   
isn't going to live much longer!" he started to close his hand over it   
when another voice cut in.  
  
"Don't you want to leave that to Farfello?"  
  
"Crawford!" both Ranma and Rache had forgotten that Oracle had remained   
in his room for the night, and had no doubt known all about the fight.   
Ranma suddenly deflated, "But... Cosmos killed Jei-sama..."  
  
"Hardly," smirked the seer, "Yuki transported them out before her power   
could rip them apart. They're at the Tendou Dojo."  
  
Eyes widened with hope, "Really?"  
  
"Yes, really," the eyes behind the glasses were narrowed with   
exasperation, "And since you decided to fight in here, we have no   
transport."  
  
For once, the pair looked at the property damage wrought in the battle   
with Ginzoushou and Cosmos. Crawford's Mercedes was totaled, and Fei   
Li's low-rider was apparently one with the rubble. Oh, _that_ would be   
fun to explain to the bass guitarist.  
  
"So I guess we're roofhopping," Ranma's shoulder's slumped, "I _really_   
don't think I've enough energy left. Feels like I took on Saffron all   
over again."  
  
Crawford smirked at them, yet again, "This would be where I step in.   
The... Gates and I have come to an... understanding."  
  
/Understanding?!/ an unfamiliar mental voice whined, surprisingly loud,   
/You think forcing me to be a _gun_ of all things is an   
'understanding'?!/  
  
"Who was--"  
  
"--that?" the pair wondered, blinking at the seer. He looked fairly   
annoyed, but flicked his wrist. To Ranma and Rache's surprise, a purple   
tinted silver gun appeared in his hand. Both had to snicker, though,   
because the handle of the gun seemed to be a red crystal.  
  
"That was the Gate Key," he shot Ranma an annoyed look, "Apparently I   
am the... 'next Sailor Pluto', since your sister didn't think to absorb   
her powers."  
  
Kitty began laughing, "You're kidding me! Now we've got two Senshi on   
our side-- and the battle's already over!"  
  
"If you're quite done with your impersonation of a hyena," the American   
drawled, "Do you think we should go yet? I'm sure Farfello is worried   
about you."  
  
"Jei-sama!" Ranma snapped to attention, "Right! Let's go!"  
  
Crawford turned to his female German teammate, "Did you feed him   
chocolate?"  
  
"No," Rache shook her head, "And it's scaring me, too."  
  
---  
  
"Where are they, where are they, where _are_ they?!"  
  
"Calm down, Yotan," Omi muttered, watching his friend and teammate pace   
the floor of the Tendou's living room, "Rache is a Senshi, she's   
_fine_."  
  
Aside from Yuki and Jei-- who had been relegated to the Dojo, as they'd   
started to frighten Soun and Kasumi by trying to out-do each other in   
describing previous kills-- the entire group was holed up in the Tendou   
Living Room. Yohji had wanted to head back to the House immediately,   
except that the two Sorceresses had "explained" to him that the amount   
of power at the House would rip anyone untuned to it into their   
separate atoms.  
  
Yohji didn't want that to happen-- and he really didn't want to get hit   
by another fire spell-- so he didn't go. This did _not_ mean he wasn't   
worried for his girlfriend's safety. It was all he'd thought about   
since arriving.  
  
He was jerked out of his worry when a crash echoed through the dojo.   
For a moment there was silence.  
  
Then an annoyed voice cut through the air-- two, actually--   
"_BRADLEY_!!"  
  
"Don't call me that!" barked Crawford, as he untangled himself from the   
other two. Everyone had rushed out to find the trio in a mess of limbs.   
The American dusted himself off once free, glaring at everyone, "I   
haven't exactly _perfected_ it yet."  
  
"Well it didn't have to _hurt_ so damn much!" Rache snarled, pulling   
herself and Ranma apart.  
  
"Rache!"  
  
"Kitty!"  
  
"Little brother!"  
  
The sixteen year old and the eighteen year old found themselves swept   
up-- Rache in an embrace that crushed her to Yohji, as the man gave   
thanks to God for bringing her back; and Ranma was caught between his   
master and his sister. Jei was wrapped around him and was growling into   
his pet's neck, while Yuki was beating him over the head and shrieking,   
"Don't _do_ that, _baka_!"  
  
Finally, Ranma extracted himself from the pair, and pulled a crystal   
out of his pocket. He bowed to his master, "May I present... the   
pureheart crystal... of one Sailor Moon. In other words... her soul."  
  
Jei reached out, cupping the crystal gently, his golden eyes glowing   
with delight as he held it in his palms. He watched it for a small   
while...  
  
...then crushed it into a fine white powder, dropping the powder to the   
ground. He spat in it, "Good Riddance!"  
  
There was a cheer from the onlookers, as they found themselves finally   
able to go back to their lives, after so long. Yuki pumped a fist into   
the air, "Party at the House! Party at the House!"  
  
The wall of the Dojo swirled into a portal as Yuki and Nabiki pooled   
their magics-- Yuki went through first, and took a look at the damage   
her brother, Rache and Cosmos had brought. It would take some stronger   
spells to fix, so she merely cast a barrier to prevent the others from   
entering it. Soon there after, everyone else piled through.   
  
On the other end, Nabiki stood ready to walk through the wall. She   
paused, glaring up at the sky, "Don't you worry, Akane-chan. I haven't   
forgotten. I _will_ get your revenge..."  
  
And then she went through, to celebrate, and to watch for the perfect   
opportunity to strike.  
  
---  
  
End Chapter  
  
Nabiki gets her revenge in book 4, since she isn't around for very long   
in Book 3. However, she does get to humiliate Ranma a bit, even if   
she's not there. Any ways, next week, Epilogue, Hidden Identity, and   
(hopefully) Book 4 Prologue. Hope ta see you then! 


	29. Scry

*glomps Rokeon* Waii! You're so cool! I'm going to go save that so I   
can load it to Faded Fantasies! Fanart rocks!  
  
Chibi Kitsune - Isn't she though? Yeah, a date, really. Although Ken   
manages to convince other people to come as chaperones, because he   
doesn't feel "comfortable". Whether it is he's uncomfortable with   
Schuldich, or the way he reacts to Schuldich... probably won't be   
answered. ^___^  
  
Adyen - Pfft. The Ginzoushou is still around; the pretty Silver   
Crystal can keep the universe alive, as Ranma & Co. slowly convert the   
world to their ways...  
  
Faye Nightmare - Ten Sequels? *blinkblinkblink* Uhm... there's only   
five (including Hidden & Confused) actual sequel-ific books planned...   
of course, then there are all the sidestories to be written. ^___^  
  
Kyra - Orfiel... eheheheheh, Orfiel will be explained in Hidden   
Identity. Orfiel is also my excuse to haul in another crossover,   
further down the line. (following Book 4. May even be Book 5, which   
would make the current Book 5 become Book 6. etc)  
  
*hiding behind the rest of her reviewers, so Ran does not have the   
temptation to kill her* Two Farfies? Wow, if you weren't out to kill me   
for the cliffies, I'd date you ^___^  
  
Evil Stratagemini - Yeap, Book Four is offically Confused Identity. The   
Ginzoushou is going to belong to Rache. It will (read:should) show up   
in Book 4 in Rache's posession.  
  
Shinigami - Unless you killed yourself over the interm, you have   
successfully waited a week. Nope, that's not Nabiki's fault. Nabiki   
gets her revenge in Book 4.  
  
  
  
True Identity  
Epilogue : Scry  
Li Xiang  
  
  
  
Morning, Ranma decided irritably, comes _way_ to soon. Especially when   
one has a hangover. Groaning, the currently female martial artist threw   
an arm over her face, blocking out the light peeking in through the   
window.  
  
"Headache, Ranma?" mused a cheerful-- but whispering-- Saotome Yuki.   
Blurry blue eyes opened in an attempt to glare at her sister, but shut   
quickly to avoid the far too brilliant sunlight.  
  
"G'way, 'Ki..."  
  
"...Well, if you don't want the hangover cure..."  
  
Ranma sat bolt up, unsteadily crawling over Jei's body in order to get   
to her sister and beat the cure out of her. Yuki danced out of the way,   
and Ranma fell face first on the ground, "...ow..."  
  
"Wow, little brother," the girl grinned wickedly, "I didn't picture you   
the type."  
  
"Huh?"  
  
She pointed back to the bed, still grinning, "Fucking your lover, I can   
understand. Fucking your best friend, too. But both at the same time?   
_And_ in girl form? You're kinky, Ranma."  
  
"..." she was currently staring at the forms of Jei-sama and Aya-kun,   
that were sprawled on her bed, "...how drunk were we...?"  
  
"A lot more than you are now," Yuki replied, gleefully, casting the   
spell over the trio, removing the general symptoms of a hangover.  
  
"Oh man..." Ranma-onna moaned, clutching at her head, "This is _so_ not   
good..."  
  
"That's what _this_ trick is for," and Aya-kun's form was levitated off   
the bed. Yuki winked, "I'll take him back to his own room, little   
brother. I _really_ don't want Ran killed before he and Aya-chan can   
get to know one another again."  
  
"Yeah, yeah," Ranma muttered, crawling back into her bed to snuggled up   
against Jei, "I'm going back to bed."  
  
Yuki nodded, and withdrew from the room. Once her brother's door was   
shut, she set Aya-kun on the floor, "So... how long have you been   
awake, Ran?"  
  
There was a moment, before violet eyes opened. He crawled to his feet,   
"About an hour."  
  
"So why didn't you leave on your own?" Yuki _stared_ at him, "Why get   
Schuldich to 'path me?"  
  
Aya-kun blushed, and looked away, and Yuki shook her head with a sigh,   
"Men. Glad I don't like 'em."  
  
He snorted, and the pair drifted down the hall. Yuki looked amused,   
"You know, I'm pretty sure Tendou cast a lust spell on you, Ranma and   
Jei. She was probably trying to mortify Ranma, and have you and Jei   
ki--"  
  
When she cut off mid-word, Ran turned to face her. Her eyes were wide   
and unseeing, before a tremor shook her whole body. Eyes narrowed   
sharply, even as fury darkened them, "So... one of the bitches   
survived..."  
  
"Yuki?"  
  
"Not now, Ran," she shot him a grin, "I need to have a little chat with   
Crawfish." and she took off down the hall.  
  
"Bitches?" wondered Ran as he returned to his own quarters, a frown   
crossing his features as he tried to puzzle out what she meant.   
  
In their own rooms, Ken and Oz-- who had returned with the party   
things, and hour into the celebration-- jerked awake. A curse escaped   
both their lips, "Shit..."  
  
Sighing, Ken stood, and drifted through the walls until he reached the   
werewolf's door. He didn't bother to knock, simply stepping through it   
and came face to face with the man he'd been purposely ignoring for   
several months now, "Did you feel it?"  
  
"They were scrying us."  
  
He nodded, slowly, wearily, "Yeah. Heh, a continent away, and we still   
can't escape it, hey Oz?"  
  
"Understatement, Xander. Defiantly an understatement."  
  
---  
  
End Chapter  
  
Yeah, it's a short epilogue. However, you've got all of Book 3 right   
there, AND the prologue to Book 4, so... NO COMPLAINING!! *smiles* 


End file.
